She'll Understand
by alexis0392
Summary: The moments we want to see, insight into moments we have seen, and goes down its own little path in future chapters. Caryl moments, but in story form (not just drabbles and one shots folks) Starts off before Carol and Daryl meet.
1. Chapter 1: A Step in the Right Direction

A Step in the Right Direction

It had taken one week; only one week, for the world to go completely to shit, not that it had that much of an effect on Daryl's life. The world went to shit, and he was striving alongside his brother, Merle. The two of them pretty much grew up, though unintentionally, preparing for an apocalypse, and he knew that if there were going to be two people to survive this bat-shit crazy new world, it would be him and Merle.

The deafening roar of Merle's bike sounded through the open window of Daryl's pickup truck as he watched his brother pull up in front of him, leading the way down the dirt road to God-knows-where next. He and Merle had stuck together, not letting each other out of sight since the geeks attacked their hometown a little less than a week ago. Daryl shook his head, laughing cruelly to himself as he thought about how they had destroyed everything and everyone he had grown up with. Of course, he didn't let Merle know how much it had upset him; he didn't need to be called a pussy, bitch, or Darylena again, taking the verbal abuse his brother dished out, while simultaneously getting the shit kicked out of him. Daryl had learned the lesson of being a man more than once while growing up in the Dixon house with his drug addict brother and alcoholic father, and he had the scars to prove it.

Daryl fidgeted in his seat, subconsciously rubbing his back against it, thinking about the beatings he had lived through, not only as a child, but as a grown man as well. But he didn't say anything about it. He was just an uneducated, piece-of-shit redneck that no one would care about, unworthy of love, even by his own kin.

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"SOPHIA!" Carol yelled, having to raise her voice over the screams of terror coming from the people outside.

It had only been one week since the outbreak started, and the epidemic had quickly spiraled out of control, causing panic and terror around the globe. The dead had begun to take over, killing everyone around them, and the chaos that ensued was remarkable. Gunshots and screams could be heard constantly as people's emotions and fears reached a breaking point.

"SOPHIA!" Carol yelled again, running around her house, searching for her baby girl. Carol winced, putting a hand up to her face where she could already feel a fresh bruise starting. She recalled Ed entering the house not thirty minutes earlier, arms clutching six wooden boards and a hammer.

"_What's going on?" Carol asked, rushing to her husband's side as he slammed the door. He whipped his head around to look at Carol, beady eyes narrowing at her presence._

"_Get your shit packed, NOW!" Ed yelled, placing a board against their front door, pulling a nail out of his pocket, and hammering it into place. Knowing better than to question her husband's orders, Carol turned around immediately and rushed to pack up their bags with clothes, food, and first aid equipment. As she made her way to their bedroom, she stopped at her daughter's room._

"_Pack your things, Sophia. We're leaving tonight," Carol said quickly._

"_What's going on?" Sophia placed her doll down and looked at her mother with terrified eyes._

"_Pack your things." Carol repeated, not having the answer to her daughter's question._

_Twenty minutes later, the screams started outside. Carol snapped her head to the window, hearing the bloodcurdling cries of her neighbors, and her face went pale with terror. She moved twice as fast in her effort to gather supplies before sprinting out of the room._

"_We're leaving in five minutes!" Ed yelled from downstairs. "Hurry the fuck up!"_  
_ Carol stopped by Sophia's room once again and, seeing that she had everything packed, grabbed her hand and rushed her out into the hall. Once they made their way down the stairs, she stopped inside of the small living room, and saw the family photos that were sitting on the coffee table. She knew that Ed would be furious at her for bringing such nonsense, but she couldn't leave them behind. Trying to distinguish between the noises in the house and the noises outside, Carol strained her ears, hoping to detect her husband's whereabouts. Once she heard him swearing in the garage, she turned back around to the pictures and picked one up, looking at the three of them. She set the photo back down and hurriedly unzipped her suitcase. Moving some of her clothes out of the way, Carol placed the first photo on a t-shirt and covered it with a pair of pants, then laid the second photo on a cardigan and covered that with a shirt. Just as she was about to place the third photo into the suitcase, she heard Ed's snarling voice right behind her. Turning her head slowly, she saw his murderous face._

"_The fuck you think you're doing?" he asked just above a whisper. Carol could hear Sophia let out a small whimper behind her father as she clutched the handle of her suitcase in her hands._

"_I_—_ I was jus_—_" Carol started, but was cut off by the back of Ed's hand connecting painfully with her cheek. Sophia screamed and she covered her mouth with her hands to muffle the sound, trying not to anger her father any further. Her suitcase crashed to the floor at her feet._

"_I told you what to pack, you stupid bitch!" Ed screamed, standing above her, practically growling in anger. "Fucking worthless. Can't even follow simple instructions," he muttered to himself, making his way back to the garage. "If you're not out here in two minutes, I'm fucking gone. The biters can get your good-for-nothing ass for all I care!" he yelled before slamming the door shut._

_Carol let the tears fall as she quickly zipped her suitcase back up. She then turned to Sophia, but all that remained was her daughter's forgotten suitcase lying in the middle of the room._

"SOPHIA!" Carol cried once again, racing upstairs as she prayed Ed wouldn't stick to his word and leave them both behind. She stopped by the bathroom door when she heard muffled cries coming from behind it.

"Sophia, baby! We have to go!" Carol opened the door to reveal her daughter's tear-streaked face. Sophia's small hand reached up to touch her mother's cheek, and her eyes watered once again. Carol closed her eyes, hating that her daughter had witnessed her abuse, but knowing they didn't have time to cry over it now. She took her daughter's face in her hands and looked at her with determination. "We have to get out of here. I need you to be brave, alright?" Sophia nodded, and the two of them made their way downstairs to the garage.

Leaving one hell and entering another.

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"Get that tent set up, baby brother," Merle yelled to Daryl as he made his way to the woods to take a piss.

Daryl watched his brother's retreating form before walking over to the back of his truck to get their tents and gear. They had been driving all day in the scorching Georgia sun, making their way to Atlanta. Daryl couldn't be sure, but he figured it was around four by the time they finally stopped to set up camp, which he was grateful for. He'd been cooped up in that damned truck for too long, and was dying to get out in the woods and hunt for something to eat. As he set up the tents, he heard Merle come back, making a b-line towards the bag hanging off his bike rather than pitching in and lending his brother a hand. As soon as Daryl was done, he looked at Merle, now standing by the bed of his truck, and watched him bend his face down to its metal surface, before jerking his head back up and shouting out.

"FUCK YEAH!" Merle shook his head rapidly before turning it to look at Daryl. He wiped his nose and grinned. "Let's go fuckin' hunting, Darylena," he yelled, grabbing his gun and practically running into the woods.

Daryl quietly followed his brother. He hated whenever Merle wanted to hunt with him after getting high. He was loud as shit, and alerted his presence to the whole goddamned world. _Wasted time,_ he thought to himself as he walked with his crossbow, hoping to find something before his brother scared it away. Merle's loud footsteps rang throughout the silent forest, cracking twigs, and ruffling leaves, unlike his own quiet ones, where every step was cautiously taken to make the least amount of sound possible. The two brothers walked through the forest for an hour without finding a single thing. Daryl shook his head in frustration and looked at his brother, still high out of his mind.

"Merle," Daryl started cautiously, looking at his brother's back, which whipped around so the younger Dixon was now staring at his face, "Maybe it would be better if I hunted alone," Merle squinted his eyes at him, "You know . . . might make less noise."

Merle looked at his brother silently and tilted his head. "What's the matter, baby brother?" he asked, walking towards Daryl with confident steps which caused the younger Dixon to back away slowly from his brother's threatening form, "Don't wanna be out here with Old Merle no more? That it?"

Daryl continued to try and put some distance between him and his brother. "No, Merle, 'course not," Daryl began, choosing his words carefully, "Just thought it might be easier with, with one of us . . . be quieter, is all," he said, backing up before he felt himself collide with the rough bark of a tree.

Merle got in Daryl's face and smiled cruelly. "I think you want to get rid of your big brother," he all but whispered, closing the space ever more. "Trying to leave me behind, Darylena? Leave your kin behind and escape out in the woods?" Merle asked, voice rising with every word.

"Merle, no!" Daryl scrambled to say, trying his best to avoid the fight he knew was inevitable. "I ain't gonna-" but he was interrupted by Merle's large fist connecting with his gut, knocking the wind right out of him. Daryl gasped for breath, thankful he could lean against the tree for support.

"You're fuckin' right you ain't gonna!" Merle cried, pulling out his knife and raising it threateningly to Daryl's throat. "Wouldn't be nothin' without Old Merle around to care for ya. Just a worthless, redneck, piece of shit that no one gives a rat's ass about. 'Nd why would they?" Merle asked, leaning closer to Daryl's still gasping face, pushing the knife further into his throat. "You're damaged goods little brother. All scarred up and ugly. Ain't nobody gonna want you, care for you like your big brother. You best remember that next time you think 'bout leaving me behind," Merle all but growled before he spat at Daryl's feet. Tearing himself away from Daryl, Merle stormed off in the opposite direction, sliding his knife back into its sheath.

Finally catching his breath, Daryl lightly touched his stomach and winced from the tenderness of a large bruise that was already forming. He let his chin fall as his brother's words replayed in his head, breaking him down once again. What hurt the most was (being so close) the fact that Merle thought Daryl would actually leave his side and abandon him to fend for himself. He could never do something so awful to his own blood, after being left and forgotten time and time again; he was not the abandoner, he was the abandoned. Daryl could feel his eyes start to sting, and he quickly closed them to stem the tears that were threatening to fall. _Stop being such a pussy. Dixon's don't fuckin' cry. Now get your ass moving and find some fuckin' dinner, _Daryl thought to himself as he forcefully pushed off of the tree and reached for his crossbow that had fallen to the forest floor. He slowly made his way deeper and deeper into the forest, eyes peeled for both unsuspecting prey and walkers, and listened to Merle's thundering footsteps making their way back to camp.

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It was now nightfall, and Carol was watching Sophia and the little Grime's boy, Carl, play checkers in the back of their yellow Cherokee. Ed had finally informed them as they made their way onto highway 85 that they were heading towards the refugee center located in Atlanta. Shortly after this, however, the Peletier's were greeted by the overwhelming glow of thousands of red taillights shining in the distance. As a result, Ed's swearing and muttering rang out in the all but silent car.

Two hours later, they were all sitting outside. A woman named Lori Grimes greeted Carol, and Sophia introduced herself to Lori's son, Carl. The men of the two families, Ed and Shane, both kept to themselves. Ed had decided to stand by the side of the Cherokee, glaring menacingly at Carol's every move, while Shane stayed sitting in his SUV, trying to gather information about what was going on in Atlanta.

It was another thirty minutes before Shane finally exited his dark blue SUV in frustration; apparently, the emergency broadcast system had stopped, as well as the recording about the refugee center. Carol agreed to watch Carl as Lori and Shane ran up the road, hoping to find any bit of information they could.

"KING ME!" Sophia cried triumphantly, smiling at Carl through slightly crooked teeth. Carl smiled back, placing one of her pieces on top of the other before looking down at the board, debating his next move. "Your dad's nice," Carol heard Sophia say quietly, most likely not wanting her own father to hear the compliment.

Carl looked up from the board at her. "Shane's not my dad," he immediately corrected her. He looked back down at the board, taking a small breath before continuing, "My dad's dead." He looked at Sophia's startled expression, then let his face fall to the board once again. Carol instantly felt sympathy for the child in front of her. Losing a parent at such a young age was always hard; she knew from experience. She didn't have long to let her mind wander, however, as all of a sudden an explosion sounded off in the distance. Carol gathered Sophia and Carl to her chest, trying to protect them from any possible danger, as she looked at the scene in front of her. Riots broke out all around her, and the sounds people's screams and gunshots filled the night air, reminding her of the horrors she had left earlier that day.

"Kids, get in the car!" Carol cried, scrambling to guide them into the back seat of the yellow Cherokee. Ed rolled his eyes as he threw the butt of his cigarette onto the ground, smashing it with his foot. No sooner had she ushered the children into the safety of the vehicle, then the roar of several helicopters flying overhead broke the night air, directing their way towards the Atlanta skyline. Carol watched as they flew by, clasping her hands over her ears to dull the overwhelming sound. She turned her head down and noticed both Sophia and Carl's faces pressed against the car's windows, hoping to catch a glimpse of the commotion outside. Carol caught Sophia's eye, and saw the panic and terror filling them as even more gunshots and explosions went off in the distance.

Within ten minutes of their departure, Shane and Lori made their way back to the vehicles, both wearing forlorn expressions from the devastation they had just witnessed. Carol wanted to rush to Lori's side and ask what was happening, what had they seen, but held herself back. She didn't want Ed to think she was stepping out of place, and becoming too friendly with these new people; Ed didn't take too kindly to Carol making friends. So, instead, she waited for one of the two adults to have the first word. However, it wasn't Shane or Lori who spoke first, but Carl. Carol watched, stunned, as the boy made his way out of the backseat and rushed to his mom's side.

"What's going on out there? Why were there all those helicopters? Were those explosions?" He quickly asked, unable to decide upon just one question to ask. Lori and Shane looked at each other before Lori bent down to her knee and took Carl's face in her hands.

"I need you to stay calm and be brave for me, alright?" Lori asked, never breaking eye contact with her son, as though she were trying to comfort him with her gaze alone. Carl stared at his mother before taking a deep breath, and nodding his head. Lori nodded back before standing to her feet. "We have to leave the highway and find a place to make camp," She said, turning to look at Carol and then Ed, who was still leaning against the side of the Cherokee. "If the three of you want to join us, we would be more than welcome to travel together."

Ed sneered at her, pulling out another cigarette from his pocket, lighting it, and taking a long drag. Carol watched as her husband blew smoke into the night air, refusing to answer the other woman. She knew he would be furious if she were to speak for the rest of her family, but she didn't want to stay alone with Ed and Sophia. Grouping up with Lori, Shane, and Carl seemed like the smartest and safest move, as they could help watch each other's backs.

As though he could sense her hesitation, Shane stepped forward and looked between Carol and Ed. "You can talk it over amongst yourselves. We're going to go back to our car and pack up." She watched as the little make-shift family headed back to their SUV, and started packing away the bits of food they had taken out to munch on.

Carol turned to Ed and slowly made her way over to him. He whipped his head in her direction, glaring at her once again with his beady-eyed expression. "What you want?" He growled at her, taking another drag off his cigarette before blowing the smoke directly in her face.

"I, I think we should go with them," Carol said, looking down at the ground. She saw Ed's boots take a step towards her and she tried to back away from him, stumbling a little as she went.

"That so?" He asked, getting in her face now. "Put our trust in these people, probably get our asses robbed by morning?" He continued, taking one last drag off his cigarette. Carol's eyes watered at the menacing look her husband continued to give her. "You listen here, bitch. We'll go along and play house with these fucks, but if anything happens, we end up with our asses killed tomorrow morning, that's on you, ya here?" And with that, he took his cigarette and pressed it into the side of her shoulder, smiling as she tried not to scream in pain. "What you doing standing here, Carol. Gotta go ask our new family where we headed next." He turned around and got into the drivers seat, slamming the door closed behind him.

Carol whimpered as she tried her hardest to ignore the burning in her shoulder. She looked up and saw Sophia quickly packing away the checkerboard, obviously not wanting to upset her father any further. When she finally felt as though she had pulled herself together, Carol wiped the tears away from her cheeks and made her way over to Lori's car, brushing her hand against Sophia's hair as she passed her.


	2. Chapter 2: Hope for Something Better

Chapter 2: Hope for Something Better

AN: Sorry it's been so long, everybody! Midterms and spring break got in the way :/ but, it's all over now :) Hope you enjoy the next installment!

"Merle, let's go!" Daryl yelled to his brother who was shooting biters left and right.

They had been sitting by a small fire the following night, devouring the two rabbits Daryl had killed earlier that afternoon, when they heard the moans and smelled the stench of rotting flesh coming from the woods not 200 yards away. Daryl immediately sprang into action, grabbing his crossbow and aiming for a female walker that was stumbling towards him. As he made his shot, he could hear Merle's handgun going off besides him, mixed with his brother's cheers of delight as he took down walker after walker. Daryl rushed back towards his truck, shooting several walkers on the way, before he looked over his shoulder to make sure his brother was close by. What he found instead was Merle standing 50 feet away from him, wearing a gleeful expression, and moving ever closer to the group of geeks that were eyeing him like a 12 course meal.

"Merle!" Daryl yelled once again, stabbing a used-to-be doctor in the skull before pulling out his knife and repeating the action on, what looked to once be, a police officer. "Save your ammo! We gotta get the fuck outta here!" Daryl cried, throwing his crossbow into the passenger's seat before sliding in behind the wheel of his blue pick up truck. Merle looked over at his baby brother, shooting the last walker at point blank range, before sprinting to his bike.

"Stop being such a fuckin' pussy, Darylena." Merle shouted, swinging his leg over his bike and revving the engine. He turned around to look at Daryl and smirked, "Ain't nothin' able to kill a Dixon but a Dixon," and he peeled away, Daryl hot on his trail.

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The two families decided to camp out in their cars that night before, not able to go anywhere with the panicked crowds surrounding them anyway. By 7:00 a.m. the following morning, they were making their way into the woods along the side of the highway, trying to come up with an idea of where they should head first. After fifteen minutes of arguing, Carl mentioned a quarry he had camped at on summer during a boy scout retreat. Carol watched in amazement as both Shane and Lori took the young boy's suggestion into consideration, before finally agreeing that it was probably their best option.

_Ed would never listen to Sophia like that . . . or me for that matter _Carol thought bitterly before shaking her head to get rid of the negativity clouding her mind. With a destination in mind, the two families clambered into their vehicles and made their way to the quarry, Shane's navy blue SUV leading the way.

It was early in the afternoon by the time the the six of them stumbled upon the quarry that was just outside of Atlanta; however, they were not the only ones there. Parked along the side of the open field were several cars, one of which was an R.V., as well as five tents of different sizes. There were men and woman scattered around the area, some cooking over fires, others gathering water, and a few who were merely talking amongst themselves. Carol noticed an old man wearing a navy blue hat sitting in a beach chair on top of the R.V. He was shaded by a propped open red and white umbrella, and was scanning the area with a pair of binoculars, a rifle slung over his shoulder. Everyone in the camp stopped what they were doing upon hearing the sound of intruders entering their camp, the old man whipping around to focus on the new comers with his binoculars.

Shane was the first of them to approach the campsite, slowly raising his hands to show he didn't mean any harm. Carol watched on with wide, fearful eyes, as several of the men pointed their weapons at the six of them, defending themselves against a possible threat.

"Woah," Shane said, raising his hands a little higher. "We're not looking for any trouble," He continued, walking ever closer with cautious steps. "I'm Shane Walsh. I'm a cop from King County, and I'm traveling with my partner's wife and son, as well as another family." He was now standing in front of the wary group, arms still risen above his head in a defensive manner. "We're just looking for a safe place to make camp, nothing more."

A hispanic looking man stepped forward, lowering his gun. "My name's Morales. This is my wife, Sonya, and our two children." The man said, sticking out his hand which Shane then shook. "We would be happy to let you stay with us. There's fresh water in the quarry down the hill, and plenty of room to set up camp." He finished, smiling at Shane before turning his head to smile at the rest of them as well.

Carol felt her anxiety leave her body the instant Morales welcomed them into camp. She had been fearful of the beating Ed would have given her had they been turned away, as it would have been her fault for wasting time and gas on a dead end. She looked down at Sophia and saw the hope gracing her daughter's features in a longer time than Carol liked to think about; hope and happiness weren't common visitors at the Peletier household. Carol smiled at her daughter before replacing it with a grimace as she felt rough, meaty fingers grasp her right forearm in a painful grip.

"Get in the car," Ed whispered at her in his usual growl. "We're driving our shit down there," he spat, pointing to an area by the woods farthest away from the rest of the group. Carol lowered her head, waiting for Ed to release his hold on her so she could make her way back into the car, feeling the little bit of hope slip away.

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Daryl wanted to stop and make camp again. He and his brother had been driving down deserted Georgia roads for hours, and they were going to be running low on fuel soon. Not only that, but the heat of Daryl's truck was slowly effecting him. He didn't have air conditioning in his old, beat-up, light blue pick-up, but even if he did, Daryl wouldn't waste the gas to use it. He didn't know how Merle was standing the scorching sun for hours on end, although, he had a feeling the breeze he got from his bike helped. Daryl wiped his brow, feeling his hand practically slide over his forehead, which was drenched in sweat, and hoped that Merle would pull over soon.

Daryl and Merle hadn't spoken since the attack the night before. Daryl knew his brother thought him a pussy for wanting to abandon camp, but he hadn't seen any option other than to flee. Sure, walkers were easy to pick off when they approached one at a time, but it was an entirely different story when they were in a group of twelve or thirteen. They became more energetic and ferocious in a pack, charging at their prey as one unit. He knew he and Merle were screwed now. All their supplies had been back at camp, minus their weapons. They didn't have any clothes, blankets, or tents. Sure, they could do without clothes and blankets, for now, but they were in serious trouble without any shelter.

_Gonna have to find some more supplies. Ain't no good campin' when their ain't nothin' to camp with, _Daryl thought to himself. Just as the thought went through his mind, Merle started to slow his bike down, pulling it over to the side of the road by the woods.

"We're startin' to get close to the city. Hopefully be able to get some more gear since we fuckin' lost all ours." Merle said, dismounting his bike, and stretching his legs.

Daryl got out of his truck, pulling his crossbow out with him, and stretched his sore legs as well. "I'ma go huntin'. See if we can't find ourselves somethin' to eat before we head out." He cautiously said, not wanting Merle to think he was leaving, and also not wanting to listen to his brother spit insults at him for ditching their camp the night before.

"Better be back by sundown, little brother," Merle said, approaching the younger Dixon slowly, "Else I'ma have to beat your ass."

Daryl looked at Merle and nodded quickly before heading into the thick cover of the woods. The temperature of the Georgian summer instantly lowered, the shadows of the trees providing some relief, and Daryl felt himself relax. Taking his crossbow off his back, Daryl started his hunt, moving deeper and deeper into the forest. He could feel his mind clearing with every step he took, shooting and stringing small animals as he went. After three hours of walking the woods, Daryl felt totally relaxed and at peace, though unwilling to return to his brother. He loved his brother, of course, but he could definitely be a handful; sometimes Daryl just needed a break from the constant anxiety he felt whenever he was around Merle. It was difficult, never knowing what would set him off, especially when he was all doped up. His whole life was spent living in fear of his old man and big brother, and the forest was the only place he could come to escape to get some peace and quiet.

Daryl continued to walk, taking note of his whereabouts so he could make it back to Merle easily before sundown, and relished the silence of the woods. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, memorizing the earthy smell and savoring it.

"I said get that fucking gear out of the car!" A faint voice growled to his right.

Daryl snapped his eyes open and looked to where he heard the voice. He slowly began to move behind a large tree, peering out from the side of it, and watched the scene play out in front of him. A petite woman, not 200 yards away, was backing away from a giant oaf of a man who was advancing on her, raising his right hand menacingly.

"I, I'm sorry!" She whimpered, trying to cover her face with her small arms. "Lori asked me if Carl was with Sophia, and I-"

But the man hit her before she could finish her plea. Daryl felt his stomach tighten in anger as he watched the woman crumble to the ground.

"Don't give a FUCK what that bitch wanted," the man snarled, lowering his face to look at her. Daryl could hear the woman cry in fear, trying to scoot back farther from the man in front of her. "Get your ass back to camp, and do your fuckin' job, bitch." He sneered at her once more before turning on his heel, storming out into the clearing up ahead, which Daryl was surprised he hadn't noticed yet.

The woman sat there for a few more seconds, and cried into her hands, trying not to touch her face, which Daryl was almost positive was beginning to bruise. He debated going over to help her before he heard Merle's voice in his head.

_Ain't your place, baby brother. You stay on back here, unless you want me to give you an ass whoopin' of your own. _

As much as he wanted to help her, Daryl knew that it wasn't the best plan.

_She don't even know you, for Christ sakes!_ _What you gonna do, huh? Go up to her, probably give her a fuckin' heart attack. Stop being so fuckin' soft, Dixon. _

With that in mind, Daryl stayed back, watching the woman slowly stand on shaky legs. She took a few deep breaths, _tryin' to act like nothin' happened_, he thought, and made her way back out of the woods. Dary continued to stare once she was out of sight. Even though he knew it was none of his business, he could feel that his jaw was clenched, and his hands were balled into fists so tight, his knuckles had turned white. Without realizing it, he started moving towards the battered woman, one foot stepping in front of the other.

_Back away, Dixon. Ain't your place. _

But he didn't listen to himself, taking quiet steps to just the edge of the clearing, and hid behind a tree once again. His eyes widened at what lay beyond the forest, and for the first time in a long while, the feeling of hope filled his chest. There were men and woman setting up tents, cooking over fires, and even talking and laughing amongst themselves. Daryl could hear the sound of children playing in the distance, running through the open space without a care in the world. A man standing on top of an R.V. put down his binoculars to look at the laughing children, and watched as the old man smiled to himself. Daryl wanted this; to be welcomed into a group like this. He knew he and Merle could survive on their own, but, deep down, this is what he wanted. He had been alone all his life, had grown to only depend on himself, but if he could have the option, he would choose this, hands down.

_Get your head up out your ass, Dixon. Ain't no way Merle would ever let you join a stupid ass group like this one. No way any of them people would want you, neither. You're just some dumb redneck, and that's what they'll see ya as. Best steer clear 'a these people, and head back. Don't wanna bring no trouble their way. _

But just as he was about to turn, he heard the crunch of heavy boots on leaves, and the snapping of twigs from behind him.

"Well, well, well," Daryl heard Merle whisper behind him. "Looks like we ain't so fucked after all, baby brother."

AN: Chapter 2, complete :) Now, idk if any of you are going to say something about how easily the campsite welcomed Carol and Shane's families (I'm just going to call them Shane's family for now... it's just easier, honestly lol) I want to explain quickly. My feeling is that in the beginning, when all of this first started to happen, people weren't afraid of each other, only walkers. Humanity was still very strong, so they wouldn't really have any reason to fear each other, and question one another. Reviews are always welcome!


	3. Chapter 3: First Sighting

AN: This is a little shorter than the other chapters, but I wanted to get it out to you all :)

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Chapter 3: First Sighting

Daryl closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again. He hadn't realized the sun had already started to set, too distracted by the woman and her . . . husband? It didn't matter. What mattered now was that Merle had found him, and by the sound of his voice, he had a plan brewing as he gazed at the camp.

"You mighta just redeemed yourself, Darylina." Merle smirked, clapping his large hand down on Daryl's shoulder. "May not have to kick your ass for not being back at camp."

"What you talkin' about, Merle?" Daryl asked warily, not liking the tone of his brother's voice. He could practically hear the smirk on his brother's face, and knew that no good could come of it.

"Well," Merle started, coming to stand next to Daryl, his large arm now draped around his shoulders, "After your oh-so-manly escape last night, baby brother, seems to me we got no shelter, clothes, first aid . . . nothin' 'cept our weapons. Here we are, all alone, strugglin' in the woods, barely hangin' on by our hides, while these kindly, unsuspectin' folks got more than enough to share." Merle said, an evil glint in his eye.

Daryl hated that look, and he knew sharing was the last thing on Merle's mind. "No fuckin' way. I ain't goin' in there an' stealin' from these people, Merle. We'll make do. Got enough food in these woods, and I'll go and look for a place to stay, or get us new tents, but we ain't attackin' these people and takin' what's theirs. It ain't right."

Merle sneered, "Pft, fuckin' pussy you are, baby brother. There any balls attached to that thing you call a dick?" Daryl felt his chest tighten, silently defending himself from the insults his brother threw at him. "How you think you're gettin' there, huh? Got barely any gas left, and you ain't walkin' these streets alone at night, less you're out lookin' for a death wish," Merle said, turning towards his brother. "Time to man up, Darylina. This world ain't about bein' nice no more. 'S about survivin', and takin' from the weak." Daryl looked into his Merle's eyes, and felt himself caving to his brother's will, despite the knot forming in his stomach. "You with me?" Merle asked.

Daryl slowly nodded his head, never breaking eye contact. "Yeah," he said reluctantly. He hated the power his older brother had over him, but he wasn't willing to leave him, he was family, and disagreeing with Merle tended to end with bruises and broken bones. So Daryl kept his head down, mouth shut, and followed his brother's lead, hoping he didn't say or do anything to piss him off along the way.

"There's too many of them for us to just barge in and take what we want, even if they don't know jack shit about using a weapon." Merle started, surveying the area. "Plus, we don't know where they're keepin' the good supplies, weapons, ammo . . ." He trailed off, still deep in thought, talking mostly to himself than to Daryl. After a few more seconds of silence, Merle nodded his head. "We gotta get in there, play nice, find out where they keep their shit, and, hopefully, be out with the goods in a few days time."

Daryl looked at his brother out of the corner of his eye, going over the plan in his head. He didn't feel good about stealing from such a large group, especially one that had children, but Merle was right. They needed supplies and food of their own, and as long as they didn't take everything, they wouldn't cause too much damage.

"When do we head in?" Daryl asked, swinging his crossbow over his shoulder. He knew it had to be soon; neither of them wanted to sleep out in the open, especially after being attacked the previous night. They were both on edge, whether Merle was willing to admit it or not.

Merle looked at Daryl with a smile on his face and clapped him on the back one more time. "There's the brother I raised. Not that pussy-assed wimp that ain't worth shit. Might as well head in now. Tell 'em we're pretty much outta gas and need a place to stay. Long as we ain't set up by any niggers and fags, I'm fine." Merle finished, scratching his upper arm and spitting on the the ground. Daryl cringed; he always hated how fuckin' racist his family was. He just hoped Merle didn't cause too much trouble while they were there.

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Carol winced as she walked back into camp, trying to keep as much pressure off her ankle as she possibly could. She knew she looked worse for wear, judging by the eyes following her as she limped towards the yellow Cherokee to grab their equipment. She heard someone jogging up behind her and turned her head, making sure not to show the side of her face that was already swelling.

"Oh my God! Carol!" _Lori _Carol thought, hearing the tall woman stop behind her. "What happened to you? Are you alright?" Carol lowered her head, willing the tears to stop from pouring down her bruised cheeks.

"I'm fine," she rasped out, closing her eyes when she felt a few tears escape.

Lori put her hand on Carol's shoulder and turned the woman so she was facing her. Carol whimpered in pain at the unexpected movement in her ankle.

"I'm sorry!" Lori said. Carol felt the other woman's eyes roaming her face and torso, taking in her battered face, ripped shirt, scraped arms, torn pants, and the way she kept her wait off her right ankle.

"I, I fell . . . in the woods, I fell. I, uh, I thought I saw something, but I was just being stupid, I guess. It was my fault. It only ended up being a squirrel." Carol lied, spitting the words out quickly in hope that Lori would leave and let her get back to her job before Ed saw her slacking off once again.

"Are you sure you're-" Lori started, but Carol cut her off.

"I'm fine, Lori," Carol repeated, more firmly this time, giving the other woman a pleading look to leave her be.

Lori looked her up and down once more before nodding her head. "Alright then, if you're sure you're okay." She started to turn around, but stopped herself. "If you need anything, we're set up by Morales' tent." Carol gave her a weak smile, before she went back to the Jeep.

As she went through all of the equipment, she realized how relieved she was that Ed didn't tell her to set up the tent, as she had no idea how to do it. She gingerly started taking out different sized poles and tarps, placing them gently on the ground, all the while minding her ankle. She was taking out a few pots and pans she had gathered when she heard a ruffling in the woods behind her. Carol went dead still, fear pulsing through her as she turned towards the noise, hoping against hope that it wasn't a walker. She brought her hand up to her neck and started playing with the small gold cross that hung there.

_Please God, don't let it be one of those things. I can't run and escape, and there's no way anyone would come and help me! Please, Lord, don't..._

But out of the brush came not a walker, but a man with short brown hair, piercing blue eyes, and the most delicious arms she had ever seen, which were holding the strap of, what appeared to be, a crossbow. Carol's widened her eyes, disbelief brewing at her own thoughts. _They are amazing arms, though_ said the little devil on her shoulder. _STOP IT! That's hardly appropriate. Imagine the beating Ed would give you for such sluttish-_ But her mind went blank when those piercing blues fell on her, a frown forming as he surveyed her swollen face. She felt her breath catch as she stared dumbly back before realizing why he was looking at her face. She lowered her gaze instantly to the trunk she was unpacking, trying to stop the blush that was flooding her cheeks.

"Stop your gawkin', baby brother." Carol heard a raspy voice whisper by the arm God. She looked up and saw an older man step out from behind him, taking the lead to the center of the campsite. Carol turned to look at the direction the men were headed, and saw she wasn't the only one whose eyes were fixed on them. Just like when she and Lori's family had entered, all eyes were on the men, focused on their every move. She saw Shane quickly look at Morales, who stepped forward once again, though with a little more caution this time around.

"How can I help you, gentlemen?" He asked, trying to stay as polite as possible, while still keeping his guard up.

"Names Merle, and this here's my brother, Daryl. We just about run outta gas and were huntin' in the woods when we stumbled onto your camp. We're wonderin' if we could set up by those woods back there," Merle finished, pointing not too far from where Carol was standing. Carol felt her heart beat a little faster when Ed turned towards her, jerking his head at the trunk to tell her to get back to work. She moving dejectedly, pulling out more items from the back, all the while listening in on the conversation going on behind her.

Silence had fallen over the group as they contemplated the men's request. Finally, Morales' voice was heard once again. "We don't have any trouble with you setting up with us, but we don't want any trouble in return. We've got kids and families to look after. If there are any problems, we're going to have to ask you to leave, understand."

"Alright then," the man named Merle exclaimed. "We'll just go 'n get our stuff." Carol turned her head in time to see the other man, Daryl, nod in agreement before the two of them disappeared once again in the woods, out of sight.

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AN: I wanted to address Merle, quickly. Some of you may view the way he entered the campsite as OOC, and I wanted to explain my reasoning. I always felt that Merle was a lot smarter, just like Daryl, than people gave them credit for. I always felt that if Merle entered the campsite as the racist ass we were introduced to, there was no way they would have let him and Daryl join the group. I think that when they first entered, they kept more to themselves, Merle occasionally making comments, but nothing too outright, especially when they first arrived. If there were children there, there's no way that they would let some dangerous redneck waving a gun anywhere new their site, let alone in their group. I've also never thought Merle was really that much of a bad person, but one that grew up really rough around the edges due to the environment he grew up in. I'll explain how he developed more within the story, but I just wanted to get that out there. :) Hope you're enjoying it! Press that pretty review button and make me the happiest girl in the world ;)


	4. Chapter 4: The Notes Before

AN: Here's chapter 4! I know, it's taken me a while, I apologize. I was having trouble writing this chapter, because I really just want to start writing Daryl and Carol having their first interactions together, but I wanted to have a little bit more back story before we get there (these two aren't going to just jump in and greet each other. They're cautious, and both have "guards" watching their every move) We're almost there though, I promise! So, without further ado (spelling? lol) I give you chapter 4

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Chapter 4: The Notes Before

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Merle snickered behind Daryl as the two of them made their way back through the woods.

"Man, that place was easier to get into than a bitch in heat," Merle laughed out, walking loudly through the leafy ground. "Almost seems like we're doin' them a favor."

Daryl huffed quietly, shaking his head. "Oh yeah? How's that?" He asked Merle as he kept his eyes peeled for walkers.

"Teach 'em to keep their fuckin' guard up, baby brother!" Merle exclaimed, clapping Daryl on the shoulder as he came up to walk in stride with him. Daryl felt himself flinch from his brother's touch, years of experience teaching him that bad things tended to happen when his brother's hands were on him. Merle laughed at Daryl's reaction before he quickened his pace and walked ahead of him.

Daryl trudged along behind Merle, caught up in his own thoughts. He knew his brother was right on some level; the group had been far too trusting,_ especially now that the world's gone to hell, _but he didn't think they should pay for it.

_You need those supplies. They got plenty. _But even as he tried to convince himself that this was true, it still didn't stop the knot from growing in his stomach. _'s not like you can do anything 'bout it, anyway. What Merle says goes, so shut the fuck up and stop acting like such a pussy. _

"Come on, baby bro!" Merle cried up ahead at the edge of the woods. "Gotta pack up if we wanna make it back to our new family before sundown!"

_What Merle says goes...Ain't that the truth_, he thought bitterly, kicking a twig out of his path as he made his way out of the wooded area.

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"The fuck ain't you done yet?" Ed asked behind Carol, flicking the butt of his cigarette at her feet.

Carol had spent the last twenty minutes unpacking the trunk of their car, with a sprained ankle, no less, and was removing the last few items when she heard Ed's heavy steps approach her.

"I'm just about finished," she said meekly, pulling another box of M.R.E.s out of the back.

Ed grunted before picking up the tent to start setting it up. Carol felt a breath she didn't know she was holding in escape her lungs. She touched her swollen cheek subconsciously and closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths before she continued; there would be hell to pay if she didn't finish soon.

Once she had lugged the rest of the items out of the car, she closed the trunk quietly and turned around, her eyes searching for her daughter. She heard her before she saw her, the unmistakable sound of Sophia's laughter coming from the Grimes' tent. She smiled to herself, happy that her daughter was making friends for the first time in her life. Ed didn't like either of them to have much contact with the outside world; heck, Sophia had been home-schooled for the past three years, so hearing her daughter's joy filled Carol with happiness.

"Best get that little bitch back here," Ed snarled in her ear "You still got work to do." Carol closed her eyes and nodded her head vigorously before walking over to where Sophia was playing.

"Got any 8's?" She heard Carl ask from inside the tent.

"Nope!" Sophia exclaimed, Carol hearing the smile in her daughter's voice. "Go fish."

Carol unzipped the flap of the tent to reveal Sophia sitting on the ground indian style and Carl laying on his stomach across from her, both of them holding several cards in their hands.

"Hello, Mrs. Peletier," Carl said, waving his card-filled hand ecstatically at her. Carol gave the boy a small smile before turning to her daughter.

"Mama, we're playing..." she faltered , and looked at Carl for help.

"Go fish," he said with a smile.

"Right! We're playing 'Go fish' Mama!" Sophia said, another radiant smile plastered across her face.

"That's great, sweetie," Carol said softly, upset that she had to ruin her daughter's fun, "but we have to go back to our tent. Your daddy's callin' for us to help set up." Sophia's smile fell instantly, and she sprang to her feet without question, knowing the repercussions of disobeying her daddy's orders. Neither of them wanted to cause a scene, especially when they had just arrived, and she knew that if these people saw Ed as a threat, they would surely kick them out of the group. Carol would follow all of Ed's demands if it meant keeping her daughter safe; and right now, the safest place was with these people in this campsite.

Sophia sidled up next to her, face looking down at the ground, while her hands were clasped together to keep from fidgeting.

"I'll see you later?" Carl asked unsurely, having stood up with Sophia.

Sophia stayed quiet, still gazing at the tents floor.

"Maybe later tonight when we're all unpacked." Carol said, answering for her daughter. Carl nodded his head in understanding. "Come on, sweetie," Carol whispered to Sophia, guiding her out of Carl's tent, and into the bright light of the Georgia summer sun.

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Once they made it back to their site, Daryl checked everything over to make sure nothing had been stolen while they were gone. Merle had always been slightly impulsive, thinking about the consequences after the fact, which is why it didn't shock Daryl too much that his brother would leave their gear unattended. _Can't believe he would leave his stash behind, though_. Right as the thought flashed through his mind, he saw Merle unsnap one of his pant pockets. He pulled out a baggie full of blue ice, and a smaller one holding viles of white powder, and slipped them into the side bag of his bike.

"What you starin' at, baby brother?" Merle asked, now looking over at him from his bike.

"Uh, we should get goin'. Might be harder to find that spot now that we ain't walkin' on foot in the woods," Daryl said quickly as he turned to get into his truck, slamming the old metal door behind him.

Merle started his bike and took the lead with Daryl close behind him.

About four miles down the road a small downtown area began to appear. Daryl looked around the area, liking what he saw less and less with every turn of his head. The abandoned streets and stores all showed signs of struggle and death; bodies littered the sidewalks, torn open from the geeks who attacked them. Many of the store fronts had broken windows, either from people trying to get out, or walkers trying to get in. They passed a small white church, mutilated corpses dressed in suits and gowns strewn across its front lawn, and the Church's announcement board reading 'God Help Us.' As they continued down the deserted streets, Daryl noticed a hunting store to his left, and sped up to ride alongside Merle. His brother looked over at him, and both stopped their vehicles.

"What's up?" Merle asked, resting his hands on his thighs.

"Saw a huntin' store back there. Thought we'd sneak in, get some supplies before headin' back out."

Merle nodded his head, "Yeah. We ain't got no tents for tonight. And we could always use more weapons and ammo." Merle got off his bike and kicked its stand down. "Good eye, little brother."

They took quiet, cautious steps towards the hunting store, all the while keeping their eyes alert for any signs of movement, weapons at the ready. Merle eased the store's door open, wincing as he heard the chime of a bell at the top of it. Daryl followed his brother inside, but not before he turned around once more to make sure the area was still clear did he let the door close behind him.

"If we ain't the luckiest sons a bitches I know!" Merle cried, making his way across the counter to look at the vast amount of guns that lined the walls and shelves. "I'd been savin' to get myself a new piece before this shit started... Guess I don't need to be worryin' about that no more," He smiled, grabbing the nearest gun off the shelf and feeling it out.

"I'm gonna head to the back, see what they got for campin' gear," Daryl said quietly, not wanting to make too much noise until they were out of the town. _Merle's loud as hell bike probably did enough damage_ he thought as he walked down one of the aisles.

He moved the items he found to the front of the store by Merle, first being the tents and extra blankets for him and his brother, then some fishing gear, followed by other items that he thought would be necessary. He moved closer to Merle when he was finished, watching his brother gather weapons and ammo like a kid set loose in a toy store. His brother had already filled 2 bags with ammo, hunting knives, guns, and axes. He brought the tents to his truck, threw them in the bed, and went back to the store to bring out the rest of the gear. When he stepped back inside, Merle was examining a sniper rifle.

"There's some stuff for your crossbow in that display case down there," Merle said, looking through the scope of the rifle. "Might wanna check it out. I know yer gonna be runnin' low on arrows soon."

Daryl nodded his head in agreement, and moved to the case to see what it held. He placed his crossbow on the counter, and began gathering the case's contents in his hands. When he was done, he brought the items over to the pile of loot he had stocked by the door. He placed them in a duffle bag he'd snatched and started walking back to grab his crossbow when three gunshots broke through the silence of the downtown.

Daryl whipped his head to the window hoping to see who had fired the weapon. All was quiet for a few seconds, the Dixon brother's eyes focused in the direction where the shots rang, but then they saw a sight that made their blood run cold.

Up ahead, wearing a bloodied wedding gown, was a woman running for her life as she was chased by a minimum of 30 walkers, all of whom looked like they had been part of her ceremony. She held a small pistol in her right hand, and was covered in blood and grime, her face streaked with tears as she sprinted down the road. She was about 100 yards away when she looked over her shoulder at the herd of walkers that was growing closer, causing her to scream. She turned her head back around and tried to move faster, but tripped on the length of her dress, stumbling to the ground. Daryl made a move to go out and help her, but he was stopped by Merle, who let out warning growl.

"There ain't no way in hell we're riskin' our hides for a woman who's as good as dead!" Merle whispered through gritted teeth. "We need to haul ass and get the fuck outta here, and we ain't gonna be able to do that with you actin' like knight-in-fuckin'-armor to that damsel in distress!" Daryl looked at his brother before his eyes were forced back to the window when he heard the woman scream again. The geeks had descended on her, and the streets were filling with her desperate cries. "We gotta go now that they're distracted. Take as many guns and as much ammo as you can! " Merle ordered, jumping over the counter and heading for the door. Daryl gave the woman one final look before he threw his crossbow over his shoulder, shoveled four guns into a bag of ammo, and got behind his brother. "Keep your back against mine. Don't break rank until we're by yer truck." Daryl nodded in understanding, leaning down to grab the other duffel bag with the arrows for his crossbow. "Better be able to keep up, Darylina," Merle smirked before opening the door, the little chime of the bell drowned by the bloodied bride's cries.

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Carol and Sophia were bringing their belongings to their tent when the Dixon brother's pulled back into camp. Merle Dixon entered first, riding up in a ridiculously loud motorcycle, and Daryl followed him in an old, beat up, light blue pick-up truck, whose bed was filled with supplies. The two men parked close to where they had first appeared from the woods, twenty feet or so from her tent, and instantly began emptying the bed of Daryl's truck. They were silent as they worked, caught up in the task at hand.

"Mama, I'm finished," Sophia said quietly. Carol looked down at her daughter, always feeling upset at the change in Sophia's personality whenever Ed was around. He was currently sitting on a beach chair ten feet away from them, a glare resting on his face when he noticed Carol had stopped working.

Carol eyed him warily before turning her gaze back on Sophia and gently said, "You can go and play, but make sure you stay by the tent, alright sweetie?"

Sophia nodded, and entered the tent to grab something to play with. Carol nervously looked back at Ed to see his beady eyes locked on her, until Sophia came back out holding a doll, and then he stared at their daughter, a predatory look in his eyes. Carol had seen him look at their little girl that way in the past, but she didn't want to believe it meant what she thought it meant. Still, she kept Sophia away from her daddy whenever she could, knowing deep down the looks Ed gave their baby girl were anything but fatherly.

"Get back to work, woman," Ed spoke out, "We ain't got all day to wait for you to get some fuckin' dinner ready." Carol nodded, defeatedly hanging her head, and walked back to the car to grab the last few boxes of M.R.E.s. She carried them back over to the tent, but noticed that with the three of them sharing the small space, there was absolutely no room to fit the large boxes. Carol slowly made her way back outside, and decided to unpack them out there where she could leave them next to the tent instead. She opened the first box and took out the twelve individually wrapped meals, stacking them on the ground. She stood up and moved to grab the next box to unpack, but found her self in the clutches of Ed's mighty grip.

His eyes were shooting daggers at her, and his lip was curling in anger. "What in the FUCK do you think you're doing?" he asked in a deathly quiet voice, though his menace was coming through all the same; Ed didn't need to yell to get his message across. Carol could feel her eyes beginning to water, not only because of the steel grip her husband had on her forearm , but because of the trouble she knew she was in. "I told you earlier we ain't sharin' with these people, and then your dumb ass goes and reveals what we got to the entire god damned camp!" He was hissing at her now, his spit hitting her face, his hand closing ever tighter around her delicate arm. Carol tried not to whimper, but felt herself doing so regardless. "Get those boxes in the tent, and you better hope to God no one saw and tries to take what's ours." With one final glare, he let her go and stormed off into the woods to cool down.

Carol tried to quickly and subtly wipe her eyes when she turned around to repack the boxes, hoping they hadn't caused too large of a scene. She felt someone's gaze on her and turned to find the man, Daryl, looking at her with . . . understanding? Carol was glad it wasn't sympathy, she didn't need anyone's pity; she had brought this upon herself. She saw his brother approach him and whisper something that caused Daryl's face to turn red in either anger or embarrassment, she honestly couldn't tell which. He immediately turned his back to her, and started working faster and harder than he had before. Merle stepped into her line of site and stared at her before he, too, went back to work alongside his brother.

Carol watched the pair with a puzzled expression, making a note in the back of her mind to watch the pair of men more carefully in the future.

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They had been setting up for a good thirty minutes after arriving back onto the campsite. Merle steered his bike to the edge of the woods where they had first entered earlier that day, and parked his truck next to his brother's bike. Still shaken up over what they had witnessed, they began unpacking Daryl's truck in silence, removing the items where they were going to set up camp.

Daryl finished setting up his tent, and walked over to grab Merle's tent to start his, when he noticed the stillness in the camp next to his. The woman and man he had seen earlier in the woods were opposite each other, the woman standing while the man sat his fat ass in a beach chair, glaring daggers at his wife. All of a sudden, a little girl came tip toeing out of their tent, holding a doll in her small hands, and walked over towards her mother. Daryl watched as the abusive scum averted his gaze from his wife to stare hungrily at the little girl, a sick gleam in his eye. Daryl knew that look, as he had seen Merle wearing an identical one hundreds of times at the local bar. Daryl felt his stomach turn as the girl's daddy didn't take his eyes off her, but instead began scanning them up and down her petite form. The woman didn't seem to notice anything, however, as her back was turned towards him at this point, and she was hurriedly unpacking the rest of the trunk. The man caught Daryl's eye, and Daryl gave him a glare of his own, piercing the man with his icy blue stare.

When the man broke eye contact to spit orders at his wife, Daryl realized what he was doing and tried to snap himself out of it. _Got shit to do. Ain't no time to play rescuer to a kid and her Ma. _He hauled Merle's tent over by his own and began setting it up as well, watching Merle going through the bags of ammo and guns they had managed to acquire from the hunting brother was kneeling by the woods, making sure the bags were shielded from everyone else as he worked. When he finished hammering in the last pole to Merle's tent, he stood up, along with his brother, who zipped up the two bags and threw them back in Daryl's truck.

"We did alright," Merle whispered, "Got ourselves about seven different fire arms, 300 rounds 'a ammo, not to mention the few knives I managed to snatch as well." Daryl nodded his head, listening to his brother's words, but also distracted by the scene in the tent next to his. The son of a bitch was squeezing the woman's arm tightly, and had a murderous look on his face as he quietly spoke to her through clenched teeth. The man let go of the woman and trudged off angrily into the woods, while she sat down by the side of her tent, packing something up. Daryl frowned and squinted, trying to make out what she was packing away, but she shifted, effectively blocking his view. He kept his eyes on her, though, and looked her up and down, taking in her defeated and nervous posture, very similar to his own.

All of a sudden, the woman turned around, and he was caught in her gaze, unable to break away even if he wanted to. He saw the pain and dried tears on her face, and knew she was just as broken as he was.

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Merle noticed his brother's attention was anywhere but with him, and let his own gaze follow his brother's, His eyes fell on a little bit of a woman repacking a box of M.R.E.s. Merle's eyes went wide at the thought of hitting a gold mine, as there were at least 12 other boxes stacked beside the one she was repacking. He turned his head to look at Daryl, and frowned. His brother wasn't looking at the boxes, but at the woman packing them, understanding written all over his face as he gazed at her. Merle sneered at him, but his brother didn't seem to notice, too caught up once the bitch turned around, staring back at him with big doe eyes.

"You lookin' to get your dick wet, or help me set up camp, Darylina?" Merle whispered roughly, glaring at him. Daryl whipped his head to look at Merle, anger flashing in his eyes, but his cheeks burning scarlet. "Get your ass back to work, and don't let me catch you starring at Little Miss again." Daryl took another second to glare at him, before he turned around and started building a small wall so they could make a fire.

Merle took a step to where Daryl had been standing, and caught the woman's stare. He noticed her bruised cheek and arm, and frowned. There was no way he was letting his baby brother get caught up trying to save some mousy bitch, only to leave him behind. Merle refused to look at as second place, not when he was blood. He could see the looks they shared, as brief as they were. Merle wasn't an idiot. He saw the connection that was there, small as it was, and he would try his hardest to break it.

Merle scratched his arm, feeling the tension fill his body, and new that he needed another hit soon to take the edge of from this stressful day.

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AN: So, I threw in a little Merle POV at the end there, something I wasn't planning on doing, but I found myself writing it, and it kind of fit. I'm not sure how much I will be doing from Merle, but this is here now lol. I hope you liked this chapter, even though we haven't gotten to Carol and Daryl interactions yet. (one more chapter readers, and then it's on…in the talking sense) Reviews are always welcome, whether they are filled with praise or criticism :)


	5. Chapter 5: Methods of Dealing

A/N: So, I was writing chapter 5, when I realized that I needed to have a bit of a filler chapter. Yes, unfortunately this is a filler, but it's kind of necessary to understand why Ed and Merle are the way they are in Chapter 6 (which will be out later today!) I hope that, even though it's a filler, you guys still enjoy it. No Daryl or Carol in this chapter, sorry!

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Chapter 5: Methods of Dealing

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Ed sat in the uncomfortable confines of his beach chair, glaring at his good-for-nothing wife as she unloaded the car, and smoking his umpteenth cigarette of the day. He brought the small stick to his lips, and sucked in the sweet smoke, holding it in before slowly blowing it back out. He took another drag, enjoying the feel of the smoke filling his lungs, and the nicotine calming his nerves.

_Bitch better not drop my booze_ he thought, watching Carol struggle with the second box containing numerous bottles of alcohol. "Be fuckin' careful with those!" Ed ordered before taking another puff of smoke. Carol nodded fearfully, not meeting his eyes as she scurried into the tent with the box. She came back out moments later, but was distracted first by the redneck hicks who began setting up next to them, and then by Sophia. He sat glaring at her as she talked to their daughter, _Should be making me some goddamned food is what the bitch should be doing._ He stared at her, but the sight of Sophia bending over to enter their tent caught the corner of his eye.

He slowly broke his gaze from his wife, and turned it towards sophia exiting the tent with her doll. He dragged his eyes up and down Sophia's form, the sick feelings starting in the pit of his stomach. Ed clenched his hands into fists, disgusted by his urges, but couldn't bring himself to drag his eyes away from his daughters figure. All of a sudden, he felt someone's eyes on him, and turned his head to be greeted with the two furious eyes glaring at him, belonging to the younger bumfuck next to them. Ed narrowed his eyes at the man, and then turned his head back to Carol, snarling, ""Get back to work, woman. We ain't got all day to wait for you to get some fuckin' dinner ready."

_Stupid fuckin' bitch...both of them; her and the little one. It's her fuckin' fault I feel this goddamned way. FUCK! Should have forced her to get that fuckin' abortion, then I wouldn't have to stare at that soft skin, those small hips, and..._Ed snarled at himself, slamming his hands against his chair's armrests. He felt himself losing control when he saw Carol unpacking the M.R.E.'s by the side of their tent, and he saw red.

He stormed over to her and seized her small forearm, tightening his hand so she could really feel the pain. "What in the FUCK do you think you're doing?" He asked just above a whisper, practically seething from his anger. He watched her whimper in fear, her blue eyes filling with tears as his hand closed even tighter around her arm. I told you earlier we ain't sharin' with these people, and then your dumb ass goes and reveals what we got to the entire god damned camp!" He was practically spitting the words out at her now, so close to losing control that the only thing keeping him from snapping the bitch's neck was the public setting they were currently in. "Get those boxes in the tent, and you better hope to God no one saw and tries to that what's ours."

Ed glared at her for a few more seconds, making sure his message sunk in, before releasing her arm from his grip  
and storming off towards the woods, hoping to calm down and get rid of the disgusting thoughts of his little girl.

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Merle stretched out his arms, having just finished setting up camp with his brother. It was nearly sundown, and he could feel stress of the week settling upon him. He felt his stomach start to growl, and remembered the boxes of M.R.E.s he'd seen the mousy bitch unpacking. Merle let his eyes scan the area, searching for his brother, who was checking out the new weapons they had looted earlier that day.

"I found myself a small gold mine, baby brother," Merle smirked, walking up to Daryl, and cracking his neck along the way. Daryl looked up at his brother, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"What you talking about, Merle?" He asked under his breath, dropping the arrows he had been inspecting.

"The little mouse of a thing, saw her unpacking a box 'a M.R.E.s before that brute of a husband nearly yanked her arm off," Merle laughed, pulling out a cigarette from his back pocket and lighting it up.

Merle watched as Daryl narrowed his eyes even more, standing up from his crouched position to glare at him. "Ain't no way in HELL we're doin' what you're thinkin' 'a doin' brother," Daryl said taking a step towards him.

Merle took a drag from his cigarette and blew the smoke in Daryl's face. "'S that so?" He asked, never breaking eye contact with his brother. "What you afraid of, Darylina? Need to grab your suitcase and slip in your big girl panties?"

"I ain't stealin' shit from that woman and her little girl. You saw the way that fat bastard was to her. He'd kill her if any 'a their stuff went missin'." Daryl said, keeping his eyes locked with Merle's.

Merle sneered at him, "That ain't your place, and you know it. We came here to do one thing, and that's to steal some shit so we can get our asses back on the road. I ain't gonna stay here like a sittin' duck, actin' as a buffet to these fuckin' freaks." Merle took a step closer to Daryl, their chest almost touching, "And as for that mousy bitch you got yer eyes on," he whispered, "You best walk away now, 'cause if I catch you anywhere near that piece of tail again, there'll be hell to pay, little brother."

Daryl glared at him for a second longer, before he turned on his heal and made his way to the woods, his crossbow slung on his back. Merle watched him go with disbelief. He knew his brother had always been the sensitive one, especially when it came to women being beaten, but for Christ's sake, the world was in fuckin' chaos! Old rules were for fuckin' suckers, and there was no way in hell he was gonna get his ass ripped apart by these freaks because Daryl couldn't get his shit together enough to steal a few supplies!

Merle scoffed and looked around, noticing the bitch in question staring at him out of the corner of her eye. He sneered in at her, directing all his hatred and anger into one look, and whipped around, making his way over to his bike. He practically ripped open the side bag, digging for the contents on the bottom. He felt the plastic zip-lock bag against his fingers and grasped it in his hand as he pulled it out. He was going to get high out of his mind, and no one was going to stop him, _Too busy huntin' in them fuckin' woods_.

Merle threw open the flap to his tent and went inside, not even waiting to close it before he dove into his bag of Heaven.

"Well hello there, beautiful," Merle whispered as he took out the large pouch of blue crystals. He stared at the glass in his hand, faltering momentarily.

_Probably ain't the best plan. You just barely got these people's trust, is now really the time to start blazin' in a tent? _

He frowned as he thought about it, turning the bag in his hand as he did. _Daryl won't be too pleased if he sees you high as a kite...Boy's always givin' them holier-than-thou looks whenever you do it. _That did it. In an instant Merle glared at the tent walls in front of him, clenching his hands into fists around the meth he still held. _That fucker ain't even here. Went off, left like everyone else. Doesn't care about me, or what happens. After all I done for that boy, all I'm tryin to do. He don't even care. Don't care what we gotta do in order to survive. Probably thinks he can do better with out a fuck up like Ole Merle. He don't know how much I saved his scrawny ass. Always savin him, and he just up and leaves. He don't know. He don't know anything about what I've done for him! _

With that, Merle practically tore apart the bag, scrambling to collect the meth that his body craved. He grabbed his pipe and shoved the glass into it, bringing it to his lips and lighting up. The effects were instantaneous, and Merle felt his body collapse as he fell to the ground, lying on his pillow, as he enjoyed the numbing feeling that overtook his body.

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Ed stumbled along the water line by the Quarry. After he had calmed down in the woods, the shock from the past week truly hit him. The images of people being mutilated in the streets, people that he had known for years, stuck in his mind. Their terrified screams as those...things feasted on their flesh played and replayed behind his eyes. He had made his way back to camp and grabbed himself a nearly full bottle of vodka from his box of booze. Carol was no where to be found, but everyone else, by the looks of it, was up the hill by their tents, preparing dinner and talking to each other. Wanting to be alone, Ed took his bottle and traveled down the hill.

Once he had reached the water, he opened the bottle and took a long swig, feeling the burn against his tongue, throat, and stomach. He settled himself in the sand, clutching the bottle, and let the silence wash over him. Ed sat and drank, trying to forget the horrors that he'd seen, and wanting nothing more than for all of this to be over.

The sun had set, and darkness was filling the light. Ed brought the much lighter bottle to his lips and took one last sip, before drunkenly throwing the empty bottle to the side. He tried to stand on shaky legs, and had to take a second to gain his composure as best he could. Once he felt that he was steady enough to walk, he stumbled back up the hill towards the camp. When he finally reached the top, he saw the whole group sitting around a low fire, all eating and laughing together. He narrowed his eyes when he noticed his wife's grey head amongst the group, and felt his insides flare with anger. He stormed over to the flames, ready to drag that bitch to the woods, and show her her place.

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A/N: Ok, so that was the chapter...I really had a hard time writing Ed's parts :/ I really don't like him...he might be dying quite a bit sooner than expected (hope you're all ok with that lol) The next part should be up soon! I already started writing it...soo...yeah :) Daryl and Carol will be finally interacting not in the next chapter, but the chapter after that!


	6. Chapter 6: The Lesson

A/N: Okay. So I suck at updating :/ I'm really sorry :/ I don't know why, but I do. Blech. Anyway, I hope you all don't hate me...Also, I'm going to be switching the ages of Carl and Sophia, so now Carl is 12 and Sophia is 10 :) Ok? Awesome lol Also, this was supposed to be chapter 5, which is why chapter 4 is entitled The Notes Before…yeah, explanations are fun Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 6: The Lesson

By sundown, everyone had finished setting up, and people were either cooking dinner, talking amongst themselves, or keeping watch. Carol was sitting alone by a small fire watching the others around the camp, too afraid to join in herself. She longed for the socialization, but knew Ed would be none-too-thrilled by it, and she really didn't need any more bruises marring her body. So she sat quietly, warming her hands by the small flame, and gazed at the others. Carol noticed the other woman were all together, talking and laughing as they cooked for their families. She tried not to let their happiness upset her as she observed them, but it seemed almost hopeless.

Carol heard her daughter's squeal to her right, followed by Carl's voice crying, "It won't bite! Just come look at it!" as he chased Sophia, grasping something in his hand. The two continued to run around the camp, and almost knocked into the older man, Dale, as they chased each other. Carol stood up, afraid of what the man's reaction might be, and went to her daughter's side. Sophia had fallen to the ground,and was looking at the old man, terror written all of face. Carol helped her back to her feet, and quickly apologized.

"I'm so sorry, Dale. It won't happen again. I should have been keeping a better eye on her, I'm sorry."

Dale looked at her, and then down at Sophia with a smile on his face. "No harm done. Seems to me like it might be good to get some of that energy out." He gave them one last reassuring smile before he walked back over to his R.V., passing Lori who wore a curious expression as she made her way over towards them.

"Is everything alright? What happened?" She asked, standing in between Carol and Carl.

"We were just playing, Mom," Carl said, still clutching the mysterious item in his hand.

"I knocked into Mr. Horvath," Sophia spoke quietly from besides Carol, looking at the ground.

"He's alright, isn't he? I saw him go into his R.V. just now," Lori said, looking back at the vehicle in question.

"He's fine, but you two need to not be running around camp like a couple of hooligans. I want you staying close by, Sophia, alright?" Carol told her daughter sternly.

"Yes, momma," Sophia answered.

"Okay," Carl said dejectedly, kicking the dirt at his feet. The two of them went off, heads hung as they left.

"I have a feeling we're going to need to keep an eye on those two," Lori laughed as she watched her son and Sophia sulk into her tent.

"It's good that they get along, though," Carol said as she also watched them. "It's always been so hard for Sophia to have any friends," she added, more to herself than to the woman standing next to her.

Lori looked at Carol out of the corner of her eye, trying her hardest not to stare too long at the bruises littering her delicate features.

"Would you like to come cook with us?" Lori asked suddenly, knocking Carol out of her thoughts.

Carol looked over at Lori, and hesitated with her answer. Of course she would like to, but what would her husband have to say about the matter. She turned her head slightly towards her tent and car in search of her husband, a move that did not go unnoticed by Lori, but didn't see him anywhere.

"I would like that," Carol said with a small smile, and she followed Lori over to the group of women laughing, talking, and cooking by a fire.

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Daryl angrily trudged through the woods, snapping twigs and crunching leaves under his feet as he went, giving no mind to being quiet. He was pissed at Merle. Of course he wanted to help his brother, but not at the cost of causing trouble between the frail woman and her husband. He had seen the looks the man had given to her, so much like the ones his father had given to his mother as he beat the life out of her. Daryl closed his eyes, trying to force the memories out of his mind as he continued to walk through the thick woods. He had no problem hunting for them, it was probably better for them anyway, having fresh meat rather than packaged food. He and Merle didn't need to steal food, what they needed was ammo, water, gas, and first aid supplies that weren't pills, God knows they had enough of those. No, he would provide the food for them, and they would focus on collecting supplies they actually needed.

Daryl's temper slowly cooled with every step he took, walking further and further into the forest that was helping to calm his nerves. He perked his head to the right when the sound of cursing in the distance caught his attention. He narrowed his eyes and silently walked forward towards the disturbance, aiming his crossbow in front of him.

"Stupid, worthless, fucking bitch. Can't do one goddamn thing right. And the fucking kid. Making my head think thoughts . . . Can't fucking think straight with those small, pert . . . AHHHH!" Daryl watched as the man gripped his skull, and lowered his chin to his chest, before he swiftly let go of his head and swung his fist at the nearest tree trunk it could find. He watched in shock as the man proceeded to beat the bark on the tree with his bare hands, cursing his family with every punch.

Daryl slowly backed away from the violent man, the sound of fists connecting with bark strengthening his resolve. There was no way in hell he was stealing from that woman. Not only would there be hell to pay for the woman when her husband found out, but the shit-storm to follow at the camp would surely blow their cover. He and Merle needed to keep a low profile if they wanted to steal some goods before they went on their way, and there was no way that was going to happen if they sampled from the M.R.E.s.

With his mind made up, Daryl traveled back to his tent, the setting sun making it too difficult for him to hunt anyway.

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Carol had just finished helping the other women cook some food for their families, and started to turn to make her way back to her tent when she heard Lori's voice.

"Carol! You and Sophia are welcome to join the rest of us by the fire for dinner. There's plenty of room," she said with a hopeful smile on her face.

Carol turned to her tent, but still saw no sign of Ed. She knew she couldn't stay for long, but spending a little time with the other family wouldn't hurt anybody. "That would be wonderful. Thank you, Lori. I just have to grab our food, and I'll be right there."

"No problem," Lori smiled, "I'll grab Carl and Sophia. I think they're in our tent playing cards."

Once Carol had gotten together two of the M.R.E.s, she brought the food over and sat down next to her daughter, who was laughing at a joke Carl had just made.

"Thank you, Momma," Sophia said, accepting the meal politely, before turning back to Carl. Carol sat quietly, slowly chewing on her food as she watched the rest of the group.

"You're hogging all of the fish!" Cried Amy, playfully pulling pieces from her sister, Andea's plate. The two sat together, poking at each other's plates, their laughter becoming infectious.

"Your eyes have always been bigger than your stomach!" Laughed Andrea, smiling at her sister out of the corner of her eye as she stapped a piece of fish and shoved it in her mouth.

"Ha ha ha," Amy said dryly after swallowing her bite.

Carol smiled at the girls, happy that they had each other. It was a miracle they survived, let alone had each other. She looked over at the Asian boy, Glenn, and felt her heart break a little. He had no one, as far as she knew, but he seemed to have become friends with Dale, which was nice. The old man looked down at the boy with a smile as they ate together.

Carol glanced at Sophia, who was whispering with Carl and Morale's daughter, Monica, and felt joy that her daughter was opening up to the other children. Maybe there could be some good out of all this terror after all.

They spent the next 30 minutes sitting by the low fire, talking about where they were all from, and what the lives they hopefully would still have to go back to. The sun had set not fifteen minutes before, and the fire was just starting to turn into mere embers when the smell of booze overpowered Carol's senses. She felt her back go rigid with fear as she clutched her plate in her hands. Sophia scooted closer to her side, slightly shaking in her seat. Carol lowered her head to try and calm her daughter. The rest of the group didn't pay any mind to the two, still talking and laughing amongst themselves, trying to enjoy the rest of the night before they had to turn in.

"Sophia, I want you to go to the tent, and zip it up, alright?" Sophia looked at her with big blue eyes. "Go now." She kissed the top of her daughter's head and let her slip out of her embrace. Sophia stood up, quietly said good night to everyone, and rushed to their tent, knowing the horror's that awaited her mother.

Moments later, Carol felt Ed's head next to hers, his alcohol ridden breath filling the air around her as he whispered in her ear, "Get your ass outta that chair." Carol's eyes watered as she stood, keeping her head lowered, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. Ed grapped her arm and tugged her behind him.

"Carol?" Lori called behind her, concern written all over her voice.

Ed glared at her, but let her turn to respond. "I'm alright, Lori. Just going to bed with my husband. I'll see you all in the morning."

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Daryl exited the woods just after sundown, but instead of gathering by the fire with the rest of the group, he made his way towards his tent. He could hear the faint sounds of laughter by the fire, but tried to block it out as he opened the flap of his tent. His nose was instantly hit with the smell of meth, and he felt his gut wrench. He hadn't been gone more than 40 minutes, and Merle was lying on his sleeping bag, pipe in hand, high out of his mind.

Merle whipped his head around to stare at Daryl, a glazed look in his eyes, and a slow smile crept onto his face.

"You wanna a puff, baby brother?" He asked, letting his head loll to the side.

Daryl didn't answer him, just stormed out of their tent in rage. If there was one thing he couldn't stand about Merle, it was his drug problem. They needed to keep a level head in here, and what's the first thing his brother does? Get high as a kite without a care in the world. It made him sick to his stomach. Merle was gonna get them thrown out on their ass, and then they'd be fucked. Sure, they could walk some, but he didn't want to have to do that right off the bat. They needed supplies if they wanted to survive. Daryl shook his head as he walked. He slung his crossbow over his back and headed towards the trees, seeking solace in the woods once again.

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They had made their way passed the camp site and into the woods, Ed dragging Carol, and Carol stumbling along behind him, tripping over stones and sticks as they went.

"What have I fuckin' told you about talkin' your goddamn, worthless mouth off to other people!" Ed growled, whirling her around and throwing her to the ground when he felt they were far enough in the woods for no one to notice them. "Think anyone would really want to talk to a washed up hag like you?" He snarled in her face, specks of his spit hitting her cheeks. He slapped her hard hard across the cheek, smiling in drunken glee as he watched her fall. "I'll teach you to fuckin' learn your place." He muttered as his fists beat her over and over again, taking pleasure in her whimpers and small screams.

Carol tried to protect herself, bringing her arms up to take most of the hits. She felt her ribs crack under the pressure of his fists, the wind getting knocked out of her. She held her stomach, trying to catch her breath, but it just left her face vulnerable to the fury Ed was determined to unleash upon her.

"Lookin' at them fuckin' rednecks like some common whore. You gonna spread those scarred up legs for 'em? Gonna let them fuck you like some two bit slut?" He screamed, standing up to kick her legs over and over. "Teach you your fuckin' place, bitch. You're MINE! Ain't no one gonna want some washed up piece of trash like you." He punched her once more in the side of the head, and Carol felt her vision start to blur, and her head start to spin as it hit the dirt below. "Gonna fuckin' show you who you belong to, bitch. Teach you a lesson you ain't never gonna forget," he growled as he began to unbuckle his belt.

Carol felt woozy, the world spinning around her as her limbs cried out in pain, but it didn't compare to the fear she felt at the sound of Ed's zipper being lowered.

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He had been walking for a short amount of time when he first heard her cries in the distance. Daryl felt his legs take off, quietly sprinting through the brush, the hits and yells growing louder with every step he took. He felt his heart pounding in his chest as he ran, fear for a woman he barely even knew overpowering him.

Daryl skidded to a halt and let the rage take him over as he looked at the scene that played before him.

The woman was lying in a pile of dirt and leaves, blood dripping from her head, arms, and legs, and he knew there would be bruises forming there as well, it was just a matter of time. She wasn't curled up in a ball, but almost looked as though she'd passed out, her head lolled to the side, and her limbs lying limply at her side. Her clothes were torn in several areas, blood oozing out of the rips in some parts, dirt encrusting her entire outfit.

What had Daryl even more enraged was the drunken mess standing over the broken woman, sneering down at her as he slowly unbuttoned his pants. Daryl stood in a furious stupor, taking in the scene before him, when his trance was broken by the sound of the mans zipper. Memories of his own mother and her bloodied body flashed in his mind, his father's form towering over her, and he felt himself raising his crossbow, and letting an arrow fly. The man stumbled, the arrow narrowly missing his head, but Daryl didn't stop there. He charged towards the man, images of his father still flashing through his mind, and he found himself on top of the other man, beating him senseless. Hit after hit after hit, he connected with the mans face, gut, back, anything he could find. He took the weeks frustrations, and his memories out on the body in front of him. The mans bones cracked and broke under his hands, but he was relentless, never even noticing the man had passed out due to the pain; he just kept attacking him in a blind rage.

All of a sudden, Daryl felt a rough hand on his shoulder, snapping him out of it, and heard Merle's low whisper.

"Get. Up."

Daryl slowly stood to his feet, finally surveying the body that was barely recognizable, covered in blood, and suffering from numerous broken bones. The woman, not six feet away from him, began to stir, whimpering as she did. Her eyes fluttered open and met his own, her blue orbs rimming with tears. She slowly broke her gaze from his, and let her eyes fall on that of her mangled husband, and a small shriek escaped her lips. She whipped her gaze back towards him in fear and uncertainty, afraid of what he was planning on doing to her next.

"This don't concern you, mouse. Get back to yer tent." Snarled Merle, his eyes still locked on Daryl.

The woman painfully stood to her feet, trying to keep her balance when she finally stood, and slowly stumbled out of the woods, limping and clutching her stomach as she went. She turned her head back to Daryl, and then shot her eyes back down to her husband, who was still lying unconscious on the dirt floor, but Daryl shook his head and signalled her to leave. She held his gaze for one last second before scurrying out as fast as she could.

"Thought I made myself clear that I didn't want you anywhere near that bitch and her fuckin' husband, Darylina." Merle continued to whisper in his ear, raising the hair on the back of Daryl's neck. Daryl could feel himself closing up, preparing for the attack that was bound to come.

It only took a matter of seconds before he felt the blow to his back. "Told you it wasn't your place to be meddlin' in, didn't I?" Merle asked, calmly before yelling, "DIDN'T I!" And slammed his fist back down into Daryls stomach. "I don't need you wanderin' off to be some knight in shining armor to every broken piece of trash we find, Darylina. Or do I have to beat you some more for you to understand that fuckin' lesson?" And he kicked his leg out, connecting with Daryl's side.

"Keep your nose in your own shit!" Merle growled, spitting by Daryl's head before he turned on his heel and left.

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A/N: So, end of chapter 6...that was a doosy :/ On the plus side, Daryl and Carol finally get to meet for real next chapter :) So, you know, things to look forward to lol

Ok, now I'm going to quickly talk about reviewing...I hate to be a bitch, but, come one guys. I feel like people don't like my chapters when I have no feedback :/ or even if you don't like my chapters give me some feedback lol the point is, please, give a girl a little feedback please lol i think that's why there's such a lull between chapters, too...soooo yeah. I know, being a needy bitca (as Xander would say) is never flattering, but I want to make sure i'm pleasing my audience :) See you all on the next one! :)


	7. Chapter 7: First Interactions

A/N: Hey all :) Ok, so first off, I would just like to thank the lovely people who have reviewed my story :) Thanks to : Candra 'wolfgal97, Killarneyheart, melniewn, HGRHfan35, futuredweller, earthbound68, dixonrocks, Silver Dog Demon, peonies01, cavestirrings, angelfishlex, numberonemaniac, definitelywalkerbait, Nova802, and crystal2817

I just finished outlining my story up to where they are currently in the Walking Dead :) I have to tell you, I've changed a lot, while still trying to stick with the main points of the show. I'm incredibly excited. Alright, now enough of my ramblings :) DARYL AND CAROL ARE FINALLY GOING TO TALK! It only took me 7 chapters to get here lol oops :/ Ok, on with the show...story.

Chapter 7: First Interactions

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Carol limped out of the woods as fast as she could. She was still in shock by the turn of events, never in a million years expecting to be saved from her husband by a man she had never even spoken to. Her body ached, and she was having trouble breathing because of her cracked ribs. She knew she couldn't go back to her tent now, not with the state she was in, so she made a quick decision to clean herself by the Quarry.

Carol traveled slowly to the water, the long winding hill taking a toll on her as she went. She did her best to keep her balance as she walked, not wanting to injure herself any further, but it was a difficult challenge while walking on shaky legs. Carol stopped about half way down the hill, nausea suddenly overpowering her, and vomited on the ground. She wiped her mouth clean and took several deep breaths, hoping to make her head stop spinning. When the nausea passed, her uprighted herself and continued her way down the hill to the water, determined not to break yet.

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Daryl waited until he was sure Merle was gone before he stood to his feet. The side where his older brother had forcefully kicked him ached like a bitch, and he knew for sure he would discover a bruise there tomorrow, along with every other place Merle had hit him. He looked over at the unconscious bastard that lay in the dirt ten feet away from him. The son of a bitch didn't even look like the man Daryl had gotten his hands on, much to his pleasure. A small smile formed on his lips at the horrific site before him, but he couldn't care in the slightest. After what Daryl had walked in on, the sick fuck was lucky he hadn't killed him.

_Fucker's pants are still half way down his ass_ he thought, sneering at the unconscious body. He couldn't help but think of the state the woman would have been in if he had gotten there two minutes later than he originally had. He couldn't look at the man anymore, as much as he wanted to. He needed to get cleaned up and back in his tent to make sure Merle didn't do anything stupid while he was still flying high.

As he got closer to the edge of the woods, the moonlight showed that the woman's tracks didn't lead back to the campsite, but down the hill to the quarry. Daryl squinted his eyes in the direction she had gone.

_Woman just got her ass beat, and now she's travelin' alone, at night? Does she have a death wish?_

Daryl walked down the hill and about half way down could smell the faint scent of vomit.

_Must have gotten sick from that head wound...Should probably make sure she hasn't fallen asleep in case it's a concussion. Fuckin' wastin' your time starin' at her goddamn husband, when you should be makin' sure she ain't hurt. Moron._

As he made his way around the last curve of the hill, he saw her illuminated figure by the water's edge. Daryl stared in awe at the woman before him, but quickly shook his head when he realized he was outwardly gawking at her.

Daryl slowly moved towards the woman, taking cautious steps as he went. He didn't want to startle her and make her nervous, but he also didn't want to sneak up on her with silent steps. Regardless, she turned suddenly, a look of panic written all over her bruised features. The moonlights danced across her swollen cheeks, and what was beginning to be a black eye. Her eyes softened when she realized who was approaching her, and she turned to him fully.

She stared at him with wide, blue eyes for what seemed like hours. The silence between them was filled with tension, both not knowing what to say. That's when Daryl noticed the dried blood by her temple.

_No wonder she's just staring. She probably does have a concussion._

"I, I..." The woman started, but Daryl interrupted.

"You need to clean your head wound," Daryl said quickly, "Might have a concussion," He added at the end, blushing slightly for cutting her off. The woman nodded and turned towards the water again, scooping some up and trying to wipe the blood away. "Here, le' me," Daryl said again, breaking the silence. He ripped off a piece of his sleeveless, dipped it in the water to clean it, and squeezed the excess out, the woman watching his every move. He turned towards her, still moving cautiously, fearing she would run from him if he made one wrong move. However, when he looked in her eyes, they were more trusting than wary. Daryl gently took the woman's chin in his hand, keeping eye contact her as he did, and turned her head slightly to the side, the drying blood glistening in the moonlight.

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Carol stood there silently, not knowing what to say as a million thoughts rushed through her head. She could see this man, Daryl, cleaning the blood from her temple, his rough hands moving gently over the wound. Her whole body ached, and she was still having trouble breathing, though the nausea was beginning to dissipate. How could she possibly thank this man who was still taking care of her, a man she didn't even know, had never spoken to, yet owed her life to. God only knows the state she would have been in had he stormed out of the brush minutes after he did. Nausea began to sweep over her once again at the thought, but was quickly soothed by the cooling sensation of the water sweeping over her temple.

She had been able to feel his gaze on her throughout the day, never for too long, but following her all the same. And when they had stared at each other when she was setting up camp, she had sworn understanding filled his eyes, rather than pity. She didn't need anyone's pity, she despised it. She put herself in these situations, the bruises were her fault, and this man seemed to somehow know how she felt. It's the only reason why she was letting him see her like this, rather than rushing away. The understanding and concern in his eyes made her think that they had more in common than she could ever know.

"There," He whispered, sweeping the bloodied cloth on her wound once again, "Blood's all gone, 'n the bleeding's stopped." He let go of her shoulder, and Carol felt herself stumble where she stood, not realizing that he had been keeping her balanced this whole time. "Woah!" He muttered, quickly catching her before she hit the ground, his strong arms holding her tightly to him.

"My hero," Carol whispered and smiled, before a large yawn interrupted her happy mood.

"Oh, shit!" She heard him say, her eyes already beginning to close as unconsciousness began to take over. "Don't you dare fall asleep on me, woman."

"Carol," She corrected him, "My name's...Carol." And then the world turned black.

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"Fuck," he muttered once again, Carol now lying limply in his arms, the once smiling mouth now slack-jawed. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK!" He said, scrambling to set her down on the ground and get her awake again. He brought her face towards the water, and took some in his hands again. He looked down at the bruised face and silently apologized before he splashed her with water. "Come on woman, wake up! You don't survive a beating like that only to go unconscious while licking your wounds! Fight, God damn it!" Daryl started patting her cheeks until her eyes slowly opened to look up at him once again. "Oh, thank fuck. Thought I'd lost you." He blushed again, surprised he'd said that last part out loud.

"It hurts everywhere," She whimpered, her eyes watering from the pain. Daryl instantly started to panic. He hated when women cried.

"Do you need to sit up?" He asked, wanting to get her into a position that would be the most comfortable, hoping that that would stop the tears.

"No," She said again, wiping the tears from her face, "My ribs...I think they're broken." Daryl nodded, now hearing the harshness of her breath.

"You have to bandage those. Broken ribs are a fuckin' pain and a half, but you can't leave 'em unattended," He knew from experience. His Pa was always a fan of gut and rib punching. It's easier to beat a child when the wind has been knocked out of them and they can't run away.

"Thank...Thank you," she said, looking up at him, the moonlight causing her eyes to sparkle.

"Ain't nothin'..." He said quietly, unable to break the hold he had over him.

"It's everything...If you hadn't...If he had..." Her eyes began to tear again, and that's all Daryl needed to tear his gaze away from her and stare at the sand below his knees. "I owe you my life." She said finally, her hand seeking out his own.

Daryl quickly scooted away and stood to his feet, avoiding her touch. He didn't want to talk about this anymore. "We should get you back to yer tent...bandage up those ribs." Daryl watched her struggle to get up, before he bent down and lifted her once again into his arms like she was nothing, subconsciously enjoying the seconds she was flush against his chest. He set her down on the ground again, and began walking back when her voice stopped him.

"I do though." She said behind him.

Daryl turned and realized that she hadn't moved an inch from where he left her. She just stood still by the water's edge, watching him walk away. He turned and walked to stand in front of her.

"Do what?" He asked gruffly, looking at the ground, unwiling to be sucked into her gaze again.

"Owe you my life." She said, finally touching his hand with her own.

Daryl flinched at the contact, jerking his hand away from her, but looked up at her face. They stood together again, the sound of crickets overpowering the silence between them. Daryl breathed in and out as he searched her face, taking in the faded and fresh bruises, the strong woman hidden behind a wall of insecurity, and years of abuse, as well as the trust he held for him.

"You gotta leave him," he shocked himself by saying, not that he didn't believe she should, but more because he couldn't believe he said it out loud to a woman he had just met. _The fuck is she doing to me? _

It was her turn to look at the ground, kicking a small rock at her feet. "He's, he's not always-"

"Yes, he is," Daryl interrupted her, still staring at her face. This got her to look up, anger flaring across her features.

"You don't know him! You don't know anything about him! Or me for that matter! Who are you to be saying-" She furiously whispered, her strength shining, a glimpse of the woman she could be peaking through the cracked exterior.

"I don't got to know anything," Daryl whispered, forcing her to stand quietly, staring into his eyes once again. "It don't take a genius to know wha's goin' on, or one to know wha's gonna happen if you don't get the fuck out from under his grasp." Daryl knew he should stop speaking his mind, but this god damn, stubborn woman was hitting too close to home, and the words just kept coming. "It ain't your fault that this is happening, but it is yer fault that you ain't getting the fuck out." _Shut the fuck up!_ He yelled at himself.

"There's nothing I can do," She said defeatedly, dropping her head once again. "Not now, anyway. Not during all of this."

Daryl shook his head at her, "There's always somethin' you can do for you 'n the little one." She looked at him, tears rimming her eyes again, _Does all this woman do is cry, fuck, _"Yer with a group filled with families, and that big guy, Shane, or somethin', he's a cop. I'm sure they'll keep you 'n yer girl safe." She nodded, the tears beginning to stop. "C'mon, let's head back," He finished, wanting nothing more than to put this whole night in the back of his mind, and pass out in his tent.

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A/N: And there we have it :) They've finally spoken lol I hope you all enjoyed their first little interaction. Now, I was debating whether this would be a little OOC for Daryl, because I feel as though people always describe him as the quiet type, but then I remember Daryl from Season 1, and whether it was just because Merle was abandoned, or not, he was much more outspoken than he was in Season 2 and 3, much less tamed. So, my reasoning is that the reason why Daryl outright tells Carol that she needs to leave Ed is because it hits so close to home, since his mother was abused by his father (we're going to get into that later).

Also, thank you so much to all of those who reviewed last chapter! Lol yes I was a needy bitch, but it is good to know when people actually like your stories, rather than just hoping for the best lol I shall now tempt you with a little snippet of the next chapter for a review.

You guys are the best! Keep 'em coming :)


	8. Chapter 8: A Merciful Death

A/N: Ok, so...here we go...I don't know if this should be an M chapter, since it contains graphic death...I hope I did an ok job with it. I've never written a death scene before.

Thank you to Maeflower3, peonies01, and eieball326 for reviewing last chapter, and to al of you who have favorited and are following it, I thank you as well! I hope you all enjoyed Carol and Daryl's first interaction! Don't worry, there's more to come lol I apologize for the shortness of this chapter! They'll be much longer in the future.

Chapter 8: A Merciful Death

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He was beginning to wake up, the throbbing of his face jerking him out of his unconscious state. He was going to kill that mother fucker when he got his hands on his fuckin' throat. The alcohol was beginning to wear off, and he could feel a hangover setting in, causing his head to throb ever more.

He laid there, unable to move from the leafy bed he was lying on. His breathing was labored due to, he suspected, several broken ribs, and his legs could barely move.

"Fuck," he swore into the open woods, closing his eyes, hoping to pass out from the pain again. The faint stench of death invaded his senses, and his eyes widened in fear. He began to struggle to get up, as the shuffled steps could be heard in the distance. Ed tried to sit, but cried out in pain, causing the moans and shuffling to approach quicker. He began to cry as he tried to stand, but fell on broken legs back into the dirt. "Fuck!" He whimpered again, lying in the blood covered dirt as the air was filled with death and rot. "No, no, no!" He cried again, trying to scoot from the smell, but it was too late.

The silhouette of the walker could be seen first, it's shuffled movements becoming more clear with ever step it took, coming closer to a petrified Ed Pelletier.

Ed's breathing picked up as he tried to back away quicker, feeling rocks and twigs scraping the skin of his hands as he moved, but it was no use. He stared into the grey, dead eyes of the monster that swiftly approached, it's stench and moans growing ever closer as it stalked it's prey.

"Oh, fuck! OH FUCK!" Ed cried as he felt his back collide with a tree. His eyes watered as the corpse continued forward, growling and snapping it's jaw. "Please, no, no, no, NO!" But she was there in front of him, tilting her head and looking at him with wide grey eyes, before she lunged.

His bloodied face was the first place the walker attacked, sinking her deadly teeth into his flesh, and ripping it off the bone. It was all Ed could do to cry out as the monster dove in for another bite, consuming his cheek. He tried to fight it off, but her long, once manicured nails tore into his fat stomach, slicing through him with ease.

"Oh God! Fuck! Fuck," he whimpered as the world slowly began turning black, the walker ripping out his intestines to feast upon, before diving in for more. The last thing Ed Pelletier ever felt was the sharp teeth of the walker tearing open his throat.

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A/N: Okay, so this was my shortest chapter yet (Only 500 words) but I felt like Ed's death was sort of gruesome, and needed to be it's only little bit. One of the reasons why it's taken so long for me to update in the past is because I knew his death was coming,a nd I couldn't figure out if I wanted Carol to kill him, or if I wanted him to die by walker, and obviously, you know I chose walker lol Yes, I believe that it would show Carol's strength if she were ultimately the one to kill him, but I also feel like in this state of mind, she would have never done that, as she truly believes she's at fault and deserves some of the hits. So, by having him be killed by walker (which I also believe is a much more horrible, and painful death in the long run) Carol can get out of Ed's hold, and become stronger sooner :) Ok, explanation over.

Reviews on this one, cuz it's my first death scene, and I really would like to know if I did ok :/ LUB YA


	9. Chapter 9: Bury Me With It

A/N: Ed is Dead! :) I'm so happy I no longer have to get inside of the head of an abusive pedophile :/ Thanks to all of you who have reviewed, favorited, and followed my story :) Those of you who reviewed received a mini preview of this chapter, and a bunch of you guessed who walked out of the woods. Let's see if you're right ;)

Special thanks to: futuredweller, peonies01 , Candra 'wolfgal97, HGRHfan35 , definitelywalkerbait , illarneyheart, and Rhiannon Muir :)

Chapter 9: Bury Me With It

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It was the middle of the night, and Daryl couldn't sleep. He decided to help keep watch with the old man, Dale, and put his restlessness to good use, rather than toss and turn in his sleeping bag beside a passed out Merle. His mind was still on Carol, reeling in disbelief at the way he had gone off on at her. It was none of his damn business what she did with her life, and he shouldn't give a god damn whether or not she stayed with the piece of shit husband of hers. And yet... he thought, kicking some dirt with his boots. And yet it's all he was doing. He just couldn't get her bruised body out of his mind, so much like his mother's after his father would go ape shit while drinking.

Daryl shook his head to try and dislodge the thoughts consuming his mind. He couldn't think about her any longer. She was safe, for now, in her tent with her daughter, and that fat son of a bitch was passed out in the woods, and probably wouldn't be able to see her after the way Daryl left his face. _Not like I'd let that fat fuck anywhere..._ he began thinking, but was distracted by the smell of death, and shuffling coming from the woods. He immediately adjusted his crossbow towards the direction the noise was coming from, waiting for the walker to appear. It didn't take long, 10 seconds or so, before the corpse appeared, slowly making it's way to the camp, fresh blood and guts dripping from it's mouth and torso.

Without thought, Daryl let his arrow fly, connecting dead center in the walker's forehead, causing the rotting corpse to fall to the ground. As he moved forward to collect his arrow, he could hear Dale calling out to Shane from behind him, followed by the sound of the larger man's footsteps.

"What happen-" Shane started, but stopped as soon as he saw the lifeless body besides Daryl, who was currently putting the top of his foot on the woman's skull.

"Ugly bitch came up outta the woods," Daryl said, yanking the arrow free with ease, "Looked like she'd eaten something not too long ago," he added, wiping the arrow head clean on his jeans.

"You think there could be more?" Asked Shane, staring warily into the woods where the walker had just emerged.

"Only way to find out is by checkin' it out," He muttered, reloading his crossbow. "Best make sure people know to stay in their tents and have a weapon ready."

"You're not heading in their alone! We have to stick together; go in pairs," He urged Daryl.

"I ain't plannin' on dyin'," Daryl growled to the large officer, feeling the need to prove himself. "I been trackin' since I could fuckin' walk, and huntin' just as long."

"I'm not saying that, but we gotta be smart about this. Now is not a time to dive in blind," Shane said, slowly appealing to Daryl's rational side.

"Fine," He grumbled, swinging his crossbow over his shoulder, "But hurry the fuck up. I don't wanna wait here like sittin' ducks."

Daryl watched Shane jog back to Dale, telling him to warn the rest of the group, before jogging back to Daryl's side.

"Le's go," Daryl muttered, not even checking to see if the cop was following in his path.

After the first two minutes of walking, Daryl knew in his gut where the pathway was leading him. The trees grew thicker and thicker as they went, shielding the moonlight from the woods path with every step.

"Need some light down here," Daryl muttered to Shane in frustration, "Can't see shit in these woods at night."

"I've got it," Shane said, turning on a flashlight Daryl hadn't realized he was carrying.

"Thanks," he said to the cop, continuing forward on the trail.

Several minutes later, the stench of death lingered in the air before the men gazed upon the last remains of what could only be Ed Pelletier.

"Oh, shit," Shane whispered, staring at the torso that was torn open, and shifting his eyes to the limps that scattered the ground next to the body where they were once attached.

Daryl narrowed his eyes and moved closer to the son of the bitch lying in the dirt. Several organs were missing, and the intestines were mostly eaten, hanging over the torn stomach and falling on the ground. His throat was ripped out of his neck, and his face was practically chewed off.

_Fucker didn't get nearly what he deserved_ Daryl thought as he reviewed the remains silently, holding back the urge to add damage to the mutilated corpse in front of him.

"What the hell was he doing out here alone?" Shane asked, suddenly much closer to the body than Daryl realized.

"No idea," Daryl said automatically, not wanting to reveal that it had been his brutal beating that left the bastard unconscious in the woods, vulnerable to attack.

"You think there's more of them around?" Shane asked, looking at Daryl from the other side of the body.

"There's only one set 'a tracks here, but it wouldn't hurt to check," he replied, still unable to look away from Ed's body. Shane nodded and turned his face back to Ed's corpse as well, scanning the bloodied mess quickly.

"We should take care of him," Shane said, pulling out his gun.

"Not yet," Daryl said, finally tearing his gaze away to look at Shane. "We gotta tell 'is wife an' kid firs'. Don' think they should find out by us draggin' 'him back to camp with a bullet in his head. He ain' comin' back any time soon. These things usually take a few hours to come back. He died not too long ago."

Shane looked Daryl up and down before nodding his head in agreement. "Yeah, okay. Then which way did she come from?"

Daryl took the flashlight from Shane and shined it on the dirt and leaves below, squinting his eyes in concentration. "This way," he said, leading the way once again through the woods.

The men walked further into the forest, stopping every now and then for Daryl to find the path the walker had taken. They had only been walking for 15 minutes, the sun just starting to peak from the horizon, when they spotted a log cabin in the woods.

The cabin was fairly small, but definitely remote. Three cars were parked in front of the house, making it look as though people were home, unawares of the dangers around them. The only sight that made Daryl know otherwise were the three freshly dug graves in the back, with a fourth halfway done.

"Jesus Christ," Shane whispered as they moved forward. Children's toys littered the yards, bikes, jump ropes, hool-a-hoops, and Tonka trucks, and there was a patio with garden furniture in the back, as well. "What the fuck happened?" Shane wandered allowed.

"Several walkers, looks like," Daryl responded, flashing the light to the ground, and seeing a pile of four walkers lying dead by the side of the house. "Someone took these sons a bitches out," he said, revealing the pile to Shane.

"We should check inside for survivors," Shane said, making his way towards the front door while pulling his gun from it's holster. "Make sure you're behind me," He added to Daryl, who nodded and followed behind the cop.

They opened the door slowly and were hit, once again, by the smell of death that engulfed the entire house. Signs of struggle were evident throughout the household. Furniture was turned over, glass was smashed, and blood was splattered everywhere.

"Jesus Christ," Shane muttered again as they stepped through the devastating scene. Daryl watched him bend down and pick up a bloodied teddy bear before tossing it to the side in disgust. "Gotta keep moving," Shane said under his breath, more to himself than Daryl.

Daryl looked around the room, trying to determine whether the walker once lived here, or caused the gruesome scene around him. As he scanned the area, he noticed that all of the doors were shut except for the one to his left. He nudged Shane and pointed to the closed door. He lead the way, looking into the other rooms, noticing one of them had a noose hanging from a ceiling fan. They stopped in front of the closed door, and Daryl kept his crossbow up and ready as he slowly turned the doorknob. Daryl looked back at Shane, making sure the cop was ready, before quickly swinging the door open and aiming his crossbow.

Rather than finding the room filled with walkers, the cop and hunter found a man and woman huddled in the corner, the man aiming his gun at Daryl.

"Don't shoot!" The man cried, raising his hands in surrender. Daryl lowered his bow and turned to Shane to see him do the same with his gun, though he didn't place it back in its holster.

"Are you alright?" Shane asked, stepping from behind Daryl to address the couple.

The woman sniffled in the corner before replying, "We're...We're fine. We just, we came to see... and they were...They were all..." She broke down sobbing, bringing her legs up to her chest, and hiding her face in her knees.

"I'm sorry," The man said, laying his hand on the woman's back and rubbing slowly, "It's okay, baby," he whispered in her ear. "We've been through a lot in the past 48 hours," the man explained, looking back up to Daryl and Shane.

"What happened here?" Shane questioned gently, evidently not wanting to upset the couple further.

The man looked at Shane and Daryl before he spoke. "We was on our was from the city, barely made it out alive. We came down here to visit her sister, thought it'd be the safest place, you know? It's so far outta the city, we never thought... We just thought we'd be able to hide out with them until it was all over, but when we got here..." his eyes watered and he kissed the woman's head, "When we got here, they were all dead, and those things...And then we found Wendy in her room..." The man couldn't finish; the horrors he had seen written all over his face. "We found her in her room, just...hanging there..." he whispered, staring off with a dazed expression. He lowered his head and kissed the woman's short hair again. "We got her down, and tried to get her back, but...We dug them graves out back, and buried Sean and the kids, but when we were digging hers..." the man paused again, trying to regain his composure. "I'd gone inside for some water. All of a sudden, I hear her screaming, and she comes running in from the back, a walker following her real close. And then I realize, ain't just a walker, it's Wendy."

The woman began sobbing slightly harder now, burying her face deeper into her legs to muffle the sound. The man hugged her into his chest, kissing her and soothing her as he did.

"I couldn't kill her. I just...I couldn't. We ended up locking ourselves in here, praying she would just leave."

Daryl stood still listening to the man's tale. In any other circumstance, he would have been furious at the man for not killing the walker, family or not, knowing how deadly they were. But the walker had killed Ed Pelletier, and for that, Daryl was grateful for the man's weakness.

"I'm sorry," Shane spoke, breaking the silence. The man nodded, unable to speak as he held the whimpering woman in his arms. "If you need a safe place to stay, we have a camp set up by the quarry a few miles away. It's not much, there's only about 20 of us, but we keep each other safe, we have shelter and food, water, gas. We'd be more than welcome to have you join us."

Daryl brought his thumb to his mouth and began chewing on his thumbnail, wanting to leave the cabin as quickly as possible. He hated being around all this emotional shit. All he wanted to do was shoot an arrow in Ed's fat fuckin' face and be done with it.

"We have some food, gas, and ammo as well. You guys can come in our car, and lead us to your camp site." The man said, slowly standing and helping the woman up, who had only just stopped crying.

"That's no problem at all. I'm Shane, by the way, and this here is Daryl," Shane said, introducing the two of t hem.

"I'm T-Dogg, and this is my wife, Jacqui," T-Dogg said, bringing his arm around his wife for support.

"We need to tell them about the walker that killed Ed," Daryl whispered to Shane, the two of exiting the room to allow T-Dogg and his wife some privacy before they left.

"Not yet. They went through enough right now. We don't need to add what that walker did." Shane whispered back, fading out when the couple entered the room with them.

"We're parked out front," T-Dogg said, heading towards the front door. They walked to the green Jeep, all clambering into the vehicle before they made their way from the cabin in the woods.

It didn't take more than a 15 minute drive for the four of them to get to the quarry. They exited the Jeep and Shane introduced the couple to the rest of the group, allowing them to pick a place to set up a tent, but got T-Dogg's attention while Jacquie unpacked the car.

"I need to tell you something, man, before you found out a different way," Shane started, receiving a quizzical look from T-Dogg. "There was a walker that came out from the woods this morning. Daryl shot it with his crossbow, and we ended up tracking it to see where it came from. That's how we found you."

T-Dogg's face went pale, but he nodded his head in understanding. Daryl went back to biting his thumb nail, hating the situation he was stuck in.

"I'm really sorry, man. Her body is back there. We can bury her if you'd like. I just wanted to tell you before you saw," Shane explained again, using a hushed tone.

"Thank you," T-Dogg said, turning his head back to his wife, "I don't want her to see. I'll keep her busy while you move..." he trailed off again, unable to speak. Shane nodded to him, and T-Dogg went to his wife and helped her unload their car.

"He doesn't need to know that the walker killed Ed," Shane said, now looking at Daryl. "But speaking of, I better go break the news to Carol and Sophia."

"I'll take care of the body," Daryl said, thinking of the most satisfying way to make sure the bastard wouldn't be coming back to life. Shane nodded his head in approval and walked towards the Pelletier's tent. Daryl watched him for a moment before going to survey his tools and weapons. He didn't want to make too much noise, so a gun was out, not that shooting the fucker would be all that satisfying, but it also meant he wouldn't enjoy taking him out with his crossbow either. _Could stab him with a knife_ he thought, but then his eyes landed on the pick axe in the back of his truck. Daryl smiled cruelly as he went and picked it up, enjoying the weight of the tool in his hand.

Now that he was ready,pick axe in his left hand, shovel in his right, and bottle of gasoline in his pocket, Daryl walked back into the woods. It didn't take long to reach Ed, only about seven minutes now that he knew where he was headed, but he could smell the rotting body far sooner than he could see it. Ed lay there, in the leaves, missing appendages, and torn open like a present. Daryl kicked the immobile figure once, feeling the urge to spit on him, images of his father coming to mind. He raised the pick axe above his head, and glared down at what used to be Ed's face.

"I'll do it," came her soft voice from his side. Daryl whipped his head around to look at the woman that had just snuck up on him. He stared at her face blankly, then down at her outstretched hand. "He was my husband."

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Carol sat in shock on her sleeping bag, unable to properly process the information Shane had just given her.

"Carol, I know this must be hard, and I'm sorry. Do you," Shane whispered, attempting to soothe the her. Carol raised her hand to quiet him, twisting her head to look into his eyes.

"Where is he?" She asked calmly, hearing more strength in her voice than she was used to.

"In, in the woods. Daryl's heading back in to take care of him so he won't turn." Carol's eyes widened at his words, and stood to her feet. "Carol, I don't think you want to-"

"Which way?" She asked, oblivious to his concern. There was no way someone else was going to finish her husband but her. It was her job as his wife. Her responsibility.

"Back by his tent, but I really don't think," Shane said, but Carol didn't hear him, already sprinting out of the tent, and making way to Daryl's. She remembered exiting close to here the night before, and ran into the woods on the path she had taken, hoping Ed's body was where they had left him.

She paid no mind to the sticks scraping her face, or her ribs that were crying out in protest. She merely continued on until she saw them. There, standing over a bloodied mound that must be her Ed, was Daryl, pick axe raised over his head, as he glared down at Ed's mutilated face.

"I'll do it," She said quietly, not wanting to startle him. She stretched out her arm for Daryl to give her the weapon, but he just stared at her face, before moving his gaze down to her arm. "He was my husband."

Daryl stared at her for one more second before slowly lowering the tool, his arms flexing from the weight, and handing it to her. Carol felt her arms drop from the mere size of the object, and brought her eyes to finally look at Ed. She felt herself tearing up as she looked him over, taking in his torn throat, lack of limbs, and open stomach. She then looked at his face, a face that was absolutely unrecognizable, and raised the axe over her head.

She tilted her head as she stared at him, feeling the tears slide down her cheeks as she hesitated to swing. She let her eyes travel over him again, still crying silently as she did, but then her gaze fell on the pants half way down his legs. She felt her chest clench, and her arms swung without thought, the tip of the axe landing in Ed's brain. _That's for the abuse throughout the years, and the scars that now mar my body._ Carol lifted the axe again, and swung a little less hesitantly. _That's for the freedom that you've slowly taken away from me._ Swinging more surely still, she hit her target again. _That's for taking away out daughter's happiness and laughter. _She forcefully jerked the axe out of Ed's skull again, and raised it over her head before letting it fly down once more, feeling her strength break through with every hit. _That's for taking away who I was._ Carol ripped the axe out of Ed's skull one last time, before plunging it with all her might back into his brain._ And that's for making me live in fear for the past 20 years of my life!_

Carol broke down sobbing next to the lifeless remains of her husband, feeling more free than she had in years. She couldn't control herself as she continued to sob, letting it all out. It was the feeling of Daryl's hand on her back that caused her to snap out of her state, and scramble to her feet. Without thought she tore out of the woods and into her tent, letting the emotion overtake her once again.

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Daryl stared at the small, fragile woman in shock as she swung over, and over, and over again, the pick axe connecting with the bastards with each swing. What shocked him even more was the pride that slowly began to fill him as he gazed, mesmerized by her strength. All of a sudden she was down on the ground, a weeping mess once again. Unsure of what to do, Daryl took slow and hesitant steps towards her. Remembering how the man, T-Dogg, had soothed his wife, Daryl brought his hand out to put on her back, before putting it down. He stared Carol, who was shaking from the force of her tears, and sucked in his breath. Making up his mind, Daryl laid a trembling hand on her back as a way to offer her comfort. She immediately jerked from his touch and jumped to her feet, before fleeing out of the woods.

With a huff, Daryl took an extra second to stare at Carol's retreating form, before turning back to Ed. He gave the corpse another hard kick for good measure, then picked up the shovel and started digging a fairly large hole. Ed didn't deserve a burial, but Daryl didn't want the blood to attract other walkers. Once he finished digging, he took the bottle of gasoline, and poured it over Ed. Once the last bit of gas was gone, Daryl dug into his pocket for his matches, stepped back, lit one, and threw it on the corpse. The body immediately went up in flames, lighting the darkened woods. He pulled out a pack of smokes and watched the fire burn the body to a crisp. Once the flames finally went out, he moved what was left of Ed into the hole, and covered his corpse with dirt.

A/N: Yay for another chapter! :) lol I hoped you all liked this one. I enjoyed introducing T-Dogg and Jacquie's characters. For those of you wondering why they're married in this, it's merely because Jacquie calls T-Dogg baby when she stay's at the CDC and tells him it's okay lol Also, the title Bury Me With It (if you don't know) is an awesome Modest Mouse song, and refers to Carol's old, meak, mousy self being buried with Ed's body :) YAY FOR STRONGER CAROL! WOOOOOOOOOOO! Please review :) I will love you soooo much! and you get a little treat when you review, so, you know, incentive lol 3 you all! Alexis out.


	10. Chapter 10: Tears of Joy

A/n: I suck. This wait was far too long, and I apologize :( Thankfully, there was no cliffhanger though, right? lol Besides random life issues I had to deal with, I was also struggling hardcore with this chapter, because I didn't know how I wanted to continue. I have stuff lined out for the story in general, but...yeah. Lol I still had major writers block. So, once again, I'm sorry my lovely readers!

A big big big thank you to: Dixonrocks , peonies01, eieball326 , Peta2, HGRHfan35, definitelywalkerbait, Guest2, and SilverWolf84! :) Your reviews mean the world to me and keep me going! Also, thank you to those of you who have favorited and are following my story :) All of your support means so much! Now, on with Chapter 10 :)

Chapter 10: Tears of Joy from Curious Eyes

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Sophia sat with Carl under the awning of the R.V., playing cards once again to pass the time. Mr. Walsh had awakened her that morning, and quickly shuffled her out of the tent so he could speak to her mother in private. Sophia strained her neck a little to stare into the woods where her mother had vanished through not too long ago. All of a sudden, she could see her mother's form exit the trees in a flash, sprinting towards the small tent where she had recently left. Just by looking at her, Sophia could tell something was wrong. There was a slight limp with every step she took, and she was hunched over, shielding her face from the rest of the group. Sophia immediately stood to her feet, not even looking at Carl when she excused herself from their game, and ran after her.

Sophia ducked as she made her way into the tent, and found her mother lying on the floor. She had her knees clutched to her chest, and her face was buried within them to muffle the sound of her already uncontrollable sobs. Ever since she was a little girl, Sophia had always heard her father's screams at his wife, and the hits that he dealt her; but in all that time, not once could she remember seeing her mother cry like she was now. Her shoulders shook from the force of her sobs, causing her to clutch herself tighter in order to calm down. Sophia slowly crept towards her mother's weeping form.

"Mama?" She whispered. She eased closer still, her eyes noticing the multiple bruises littering her mother's arms. Carol shakily tried to sit up, using her arms to help her, and lifted her head to look into Sophia's eyes, revealing even more cuts and bruises to her baby girl. Sophia gasped and scooted to her mother's side instantly, wrapping her arms around her stomach. She felt her mother jerk out of her grasp as a wetness seeped through her shirt. Sophia looked down and felt her stomach clench in horror at sight of blood staining both her and her mother's shirts. She felt her own eyes water as she looked back at her mother's tear stained face. Sophia's lower lip quivered as she stared at her, picturing the worst scenario that could have happened in the thick woods.

"Mama, were..." Sophia frantically whispered, "In the woods, did you...were you..." She couldn't say the words, but reached out her tiny hand to touch her mother's blood stained shirt.

"No, Sophia, no, I'm, I'm fine," She said softly, taking Sophia's hand and giving it a reasurring squeeze as she gave her a watery smile.

"But, but there's so much blood. Why is there so much blood?" She said in a panicked voice, searching her mother's face for the truth. The sob that left Carol's throat had Sophia holding her mother's hand even tighter, wanting to give her as much support as she could.

"Your father... He was... I had to..." Her mother's attempts to talk were interrupted by her gasping breaths as she continued to cry, looking behind Sophia at the tent flap. "He would have come back... I had to do it... It was my fault that he... That he..." She broke down once again, sobbing freely now, not bothering to hide herself.

Sophia's eyes grew wide at her mother's words. A weight that she never knew existed lifted, freeing her from it's grasp. She clutched her chest as a rush of emotions flooded her system, feeling relief above all others. Sophia felt herself wrapping her arms around her mother's form once again, and pull her into her embrace. The two sat in the tent for minutes on end, allowing their emotions to take over as they cried together. Her mother extracted herself from her arms, only to pull Sophia into a hug of her own.

"It's over now," Sophia heard her mother whisper in her hair as she held her. Happiness, freedom, and relief engulfed Sophia as she wept, causing a smile to slowly form on her face. She laughed as she felt it, unable to feel any despair at the thought of her father's death. Her mother looked at her, joy filling her face as well, her eyes shining with happiness, only a hint of sadness coming through her expression. Sophia found herself being pulled into another tight hug, the wind practically getting knocked out of her. She tried to slowly extricate herself from her mother's tight grasp so she could catch her breath and wipe her eyes.

"I'll go get you some water, Mama," Sophia said to her mother, who began hiccuping, tears still streaming down her face. She stood quickly and headed outside, instantly noticing the concerned faces that followed her every move. Trying to ignore the blatant looks of pity and sympathy, Sophia focused on the task at hand, searching for the bottle of water she had been drinking from earlier that day. The bottle was sitting on the small table under the R.V. where she had left it, and she rushed to retrieve it, not wanting to be in the spotlight any longer. Sophia kept her head down as she made her way back to the tent, but stopped momentarily when she saw movement in the brush up ahead.

Sophia couldn't help but watch the man that emerged from the woods, pick axe and shovel in hand, and his crossbow slung across his back. He moved with a purpose towards the rusted blue pick up truck by his tent, threw his tools into the bed of it, and wiped his hands on his pants. As she stood, somehow transfixed, she noticed what looked like fresh blood on his shirt and pants. But he didn't come back with any fresh kills, only tools that now lay in his truck. Her eyes widened in realization as she turned her gaze to the shovel and pick axe, noticing the large amount of blood on the tip of the axe as well. Sophia looked back at the man quickly to find his eyes on her as well, glaring slightly from where he stood. She stood there like a deer in headlights, unable to avert her gaze from the man in front of her, the water bottle clutched in her hand long forgotten. He finally huffed, in what seemed to be frustration, and turned around swiftly, his crossbow still hanging over his shoulder, and headed back into the woods.

Broken by the trance, Sophia rushed back to her tent and handed her mother the bottle of water, before leaving just as quickly. She didn't know what happened to her father, but she was determined to find out.

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She didn't feel the twigs scraping her face. She didn't feel the rocks under her feet. She didn't even feel the sweltering heat of the Georgian sun as she sprinted out of the woods. All Carol could feel in that moment was the freedom, shock, and happiness that was threatening to overwhelm her. She tried to contain most of her tears until she made it to the safety of her tent, but she knew they were streaming down her face no matter how hard she tried to hold them back. Carol ducked her face from the rest of the campsite when she exited the woods, and made a b-line towards her tent. She stumbled through the flap, and collapsed to the floor as she finally let her emotions consume her.

Carol clutched her knees to her chest and buried her face within them as the sobs wracked her fragile form. She felt herself breaking with every wail that left her chest, the constricting chains her now dead husband bound her in loosening with every cry.

"Mama?" Carol heard Sophia whisper not three feet away. She slowly lifted herself from the ground with shaky arms, and looked at her baby girl. The eyes staring back at her contained concern and panic, and she suddenly felt Sophia's small arms around her stomach, causing her to flinch at the sharp pain in her ribs. She looked down and saw Ed's blood covering her and her daughter's shirts. Carol could see Sophia's panic resurfacing as she stared at the blood that now stained her shirt, before her daughter's large blue eyes met her own once again.

"Mama, were...In the woods, did you...were you..." Sophia frantically whispered, unable to complete her thoughts. Carol understood what her daughter was trying to say, knowing that she feared Carol had been bitten in the woods.

"No, Sophia, no, I'm, I'm fine," She reassured soothingly. Taking her baby girl's hand in her own, Carol squeezed it gently, while giving Sophia a watery smile. However, her attempt to calm her daughter seemed to fall on deaf ears as Sophia continued to worry.

"But, but there's so much blood. Why is there so much blood?" Sophia questioned in a panicked voice. Carol felt a sob escape her throat as she remembered how the blood came to stain her clothes and skin.

It was the supportive squeeze of her daughter's hand that gave Carol the courage to choke out what happened in the woods. "Your father... He was... I had to..." Images of Ed's mutilated corpse flashed through her mind, followed by the memory of driving the pix axe repeatedly into his skull. The thoughts had Carol gasping for breath once again. She tried to put the images out of her mind as she continued, and stared blankly behind Sophia at the tent's flap, tears still wetting her cheeks. "He would have come back... I had to do it..." The sound of the pick axe slamming into Ed's brain echoed in her mind, "It was my fault that he... That he..." Carol could feel herself breaking down once again, only this time, it was guilt that consumed her.

She didn't hide from her daughter as she cried, feeling the need to take full responsibility for her husband's ultimate demise. If she hadn't been such a bad wife, he wouldn't have drank. If she hadn't been talking and socializing, he wouldn't have become so upset. If she hadn't cried out in the woods, Daryl may never have found them, and he wouldn't have beaten Ed unconscious. She cried in despair as the guilt weighed down upon her, suffocating her happiness.

Two small arms wrapped themselves around her middle once more, shocking Carol from her guilt. Sophia's warm embrace and scent surrounded her, ebbing the guilt, and replacing it, once again, with happiness. She sat there, in the arms of her daughter, and cried without thought, feeling the wetness of her daughter's tears as well. Alongside the joy she felt, was love for her daughter, and hope for her future. Carol pulled out of her daughter's arms, only to envelope Sophia in her own instead.

"It's over now," Carol whispered in Sophia's hair. As her daughter wept against her chest, Carol could feel a smile form on Sophia's face, before her little girl let out a joyful laugh. She looked down into the big blue eyes of her baby girl, and clearly saw the happiness and joy filling them, causing her to smile as well. As she felt her lips turn up, she couldn't help but feel a slight sting of despair that Sophia felt nothing but bliss at her father's passing; that she had stayed with a man who caused her daughter glee at his passing, rather than sorrow. Carol pulled Sophia to her even tighter than before, knowing that she wouldn't make such a horrible mistake for her daughter's future like she did by staying with Ed for so many years. They were going to make it through this, together.

Carol felt Sophia trying to ease herself out of her grasp, and she loosened her grip. She began hiccupping as she tried to catch her breath, knowing the tears had yet to cease their trail down her cheeks.

"I'll go get you some water, Mama," Sophia said, to hear, turning quietly and exiting the tent, leaving Carol alone, once again, with her thoughts. She sat on the ground, sniffling and hiccupping, replaying the scene in the woods over and over again in her mind. _I should have done more. I should have... Don't be think that way. There's nothing you could have...But I should have done something. I should have gone back to him last night after... After what? After he beat you half to death? After he nearly raped y...STOP IT! It's not his fault! He was drunk. I was the one who...Who what? Was talking and sitting with a group of people? Stop defending him!...But he told me not to! He told me to never...HE'S NOT YOUR MASTER! YOU. ARE. NOT. HIS. SLAVE! _

Carol whipped her head to the flap of the tent as it opened, where Sophia appeared with a bottle in her hand. Her daughter handed her the water, which Carol took gratefully, and was out of the tent in a flash."Where are you..." Carol started, but Sophia was already gone. "Going." She finished to herself, still staring at the place where her daughter had just been. Carol wiped her eyes with her bloodied sleeve, and felt a smile creep it's way onto her face once again. As a laugh of glee erupted from her chest, Carol made a pact with herself; at this moment, she wouldn't allow herself to feel any guilt, that would come later. For now, all she was going to do was bask in the happiness and freedom she felt for the first time in over a decade.

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Daryl trudged through the woods, having spent the last fifteen minutes watching Ed's corpse burn. He felt nothing but satisfaction as he buried the bastards charred remains, spitting on them one last time before he made his departure. Daryl still couldn't believe he'd witness Carol smash the fucker's head over and over like she was playing Whack-A-Mole. He was glad she had left when she did, because as proud of her as he was, he was still uncomfortable about dealing with a crying woman. It's one of the reasons why he was more than happy letting that cop break the news to Carol himself, that and he was looking forward to smashing Ed's face in.

_Wonder how her little girl took the news_ he thought. _Pro'lly doesn't even know yet. _Daryl shook his head. The last thing he needed to be concerned with was someone else's kid. _Stickin' yerself in that bitch's business again, Darylina. Thought I told you to stear clear from 'er. Now 'er husband is dead. You some kind of retard, or are ya just lookin' to cause trouble with o'le Merle?_ Daryl's eyes widened. He hadn't even thought about how Merle was going to handle the news of Ed's demise. _Fuuuck._

The edge of the woods came into view, and Daryl hesitated leaving the sanctity of the forest. _Avoidin' your problems like some kind a bitch ain't gonna help no one. Stop being such a pussy._ Daryl squared his shoulders, took a deep breath, and made his way back to the campsite once again. He didn't look at anyone as he moved towards his truck, not wanting to deal with their questions and stares. He placed the pick axe and shovel into the bed of his truck, wanting to make as little noise as possible, before he quickly looked up to scan the campsite. His first glance went to the tent he shared with Merle, and he wiped his hands nervously on his pants. . Daryl felt himself let go of a breath he didn't know he was holding, relieved by the lack of movement coming from the tent. Merle was either wandering around somewhere, or still passed out on the earth's floor in the tent. Daryl then scanned the rest of the camp quickly, but found that the people were not focused on him, but on Carol's little girl, who was standing fifteen feet away from where he stood, staring at his clothes.

He watched as her eyes went from him, to the bloodied tools in the back of his truck. His gut sank as he saw understanding flash across her face, and quickly built a wall as to not get involved. He automatically felt himself glaring at the girl who had just lost her father, her large blue eyes finally meeting his own. Daryl narrowed his gaze on her even more, until his wall was in place. He hated that he had to force himself to not get involved with Carol and her little girl, but it wasn't his place. He needed to separate himself from these two before he got himself killed. Daryl huffed in frustration and tore his gaze away from the blue eyed child. _Keep fuckin' walking. Don't look back. _

He found himself seeking solace in the woods once again, needing to calm his nerves from the past twenty four hours. He took a deep breath as he walked, readying his crossbow as he went. Peace settled over him again, as he moved, and Daryl felt in tune with his surrounding. A snapping branch behind him had him turning swiftly around, his crossbow aimed between to bright blue eyes.

AN: Yay! :) What did you guys think? You know I love them reviews :) Tell me if you liked the little Sophia POV, because she might pop up in the future :) Chapter 11 won't be as long to get out, I was just seriously stuck with this one :/


	11. Chapter 11: Following the Leader

A/N: So, I hope you all enjoyed the previous chapter, and liked a glimpse of stronger Carol. She's not fully there yet, but she's getting there. I still enjoy exploring her weaker side, like when she hides herself while joyfully crying in the beginning of her POV, but openly cries when she's feeling guilty about Ed's death (she's not yet used to accepting and expressing her happiness and freedom, so she feels the need needs to hide those feelings, where as she's so used to feeling at fault about everything , that she doesn't think twice about showing her guilt)

Ok, now that I've said that, I want to get to my last thing, which is thanking my wonderful reviewers, so thank you: futuredweller, SilverWolf84, Guest, definitelywalkerbait, HGRHfan35, peonies01, and tracys dream :) You guys are awesome!

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Chapter 11: Following the Leader

Daryl dropped his crossbow to his side, scowling at blue eyed girl in front of him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing in here alone? Get back to camp with your Ma." Daryl ordered gruffly to the child standing in front of him, her large blues eyeing him questioningly. He stared at her, letting the silence hang between him, and waited for her to turn around and head back the way she came. "Come on," he muttered, passing her to lead the way out of the forrest, expecting the girl to follow.

"You found my daddy, didn't you?" she asked from behind him in a surprisingly strong voice. Daryl stopped in his tracks, and turned his head to look at her.

"What makes you say that?" He questioned, his back still facing her.

"You came out of the same place in the woods my Mama ran from, and you had blood on your tools. You must have at least been there when they found my daddy. Why else would you be burying him? The only other person that knows is Mr. Walsh, and he came in this morning to tell my Mama. He wouldn't have told anyone else about my daddy before us, so you must have already known, since you were already in the woods when my Mama ran in," the little girl explained in a matter-of-fact tone. He slowly turned to meet her gaze. _Girl is fuckin' observant_.

Daryl found himself nodding his head after a few seconds. "Yeah, I was there when we found your daddy this morning," he admitted, and then lied, "Must have passed out in the woods, er something. Think I saw an empty bottle by his body when we found him."

The little girl scrunched up her face in confusion. Daryl barely heard her whisper, "Her bruises are usually so much worse when he's drunk."

Daryl scoffed to himself _They would have been_. The girl's eyes jerked back up to meet his own. "What did you say?" She asked, alarmed.

It was Daryl's turn to look confused, before realizing he must have said his thought out loud, but that didn't stop him from playing stupid. "Didn't say nothin'," he muttered, looking to the side and fidgeting with his crossbow.

"What do you mean 'They would have been?' Did you stop him from hitting her?" The little girl questioned him, stepping into his personal space. Daryl took a step back, but let his eyes meet hers once more, regretting it instantly.

"I heard something when I was huntin' that night. Couldn't just sit there like an idiot, with your Ma gettin' beat to shit. Wouldn't be right," Daryl found himself explaining once again, shocking himself at how he easily told the little girl the truth.

"You...You stopped him?" She whispered, looking at him in awe.

"Told ya. It wouldn't 'ave been right fer me to just let 'im hit her like that an' do nothin'," Daryl said again, feeling incredibly uncomfortable as he stood there.

He suddenly found himself with an armful of the little girl, as she rushed into his chest and hugged him tight. "You saved her," she said into his chest, giving him an extra squeeze, "Thank you. Thank you so much."

Daryl's eyes widened as he looked down at the dirty blonde head buried in his form, not knowing how to handle the situation. He ended up deciding on patting her back awkwardly with the hand that wasn't currently holding his crossbow, and waited for her to release him from her grasp. "Ain't nothin'," he quietly said as she hugged him. "Let's get you back to your Ma," Daryl said when the little girl finally let go. He turned around and started walking in the direction of the camp. "Bet she's worried sick about you." He could hear her small footsteps hurry forward to follow him, but stopped in their tracks after only a few paces.

"Where is his body," She asked him quietly.

Daryl sighed softly before he turned to meet her face once again. It wasn't his place to show her where her Pa was buried; she should be doing that sort of thing with her mother. But her could see the determination in her eyes, and knew she wasn't going to back down without a fight.

"Ain't my place to show you," he told her, but he could see her resolve strengthening.

"Please. I have a right to know where my Daddy's last resting place is, and I don't want Mama to go through that pain again. I don't want her to have to face him again, even after his death," she pleaded with him, and Daryl could see the faint tears beginning to brim around her eyes. He groaned in frustration as he felt his own resolve weaken instantly.

"Fine!" He said quickly, "But don't even think about gettin' your ass lost. You stay next to me unless I say otherwise," he ordered, searching her eyes, even after she nodded her head, to make sure she understood. He gave a sharp nod of his own head, and then lead the way deeper into the forest, towards Ed's body.

The two travelers walked silently side-by-side through the woods, the natural sounds of the earth surrounding them. Daryl enjoyed the now quiet little girl to his left, as she had kept her mouth shut for the past five minutes. _Ain't so bad when she's not yappin' 24/7. _

They finally arrived to the spot where Ed's corpse was buried, and Daryl looked over at the little girl, only to find her gone. His eyes went wide with panic, until he saw her already making her way towards the freshly turned dirt in front of them. She was walking slowly to her father's grave, shaking slightly as she went, and Daryl noticed her hands were balled up into little fists. She stopped when she reached the edge of his grave, and kicked the dirt that covered him.

She was silent for several minutes, just staring at the patch of dirt, before she finally spoke, "He wasn't a father. He was a monster." Daryl watched her, understanding her lack of warm feelings towards her father, and satisfaction now that he was gone.

The girl stayed there, glaring at her father's grave for another minute, and then walked back to the spot by Daryl's side. "You ok?" He asked her, not understanding why he felt the need to make sure she was alright.

"Yeah . . . Better than a girl should when she's at her father's grave," she said, giving a half hearted laugh, letting it die in the silence.

"Let's get you back now," Daryl said, righting his crossbow in front of him.

"Sophia," she said, looking at him. He narrowed his eyes in confusion. "My name is Sophia. Sophia Peletier," the girl repeated, extending her hand to him.

"Daryl Dixon," he responded, shaking her small hand, and watching it get engulfed in his much larger one.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Dixon," Sophia said, smiling up at him with a wide grin on his face. "Where are we headed to next?" She asked, still grinning.

"_WE_ ain't going anywhere," he said turning towards the camp, "_You_ are goin' back to your Ma where you belong."

Daryl watched her little face scrunch up into a frown, smirking to himself at how she looked more cute than annoyed.

"Please, Mr. Dixon," she begged, giving him the largest puppy dog eyes he'd ever seen, "I won't be any trouble, and I promise not to get in your way! I just want to watch."

"Yeah," he grunted, "And people in hell want Slurpees. I already told you no. I ain't nobody's baby-sitter, kid." He started walking back to the camp, her voice following him.

"Please, please, please!" She continued.

"No! Your ass is going back to camp," Daryl said, still following the path to camp.

"Please! I'll stay quiet, and won't stop you from hunting, I just want to watch you! What's wrong with that?" She cried, still a few paces behind him. Daryl tried ignored her as he continued forward, deciding to give her the silent treatment. When he didn't answer after ten seconds, she continued. "I mean, you must get lonely, and I'm sure you could use somebody to help you carry your kills." He continued to stay quiet, so she kept on talking. "And it would probably be helpful for me to know how to hunt for my own food now. I doubt that-"

"FINE!" Daryl cried out, stopping her mid sentence. "Jesus Christ, kid, fine. But you better do better at shutting the hell up than that, or else I'm turning our asses around."

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Sophia smiled up at Daryl, pretended to lock her lips with an imaginary key, before she tossed it over her shoulder. The older man rolled his eyes, and turned around to head deeper into the woods, Sophia quickening her pace to match his own.

They walked silently together, Sophia keeping quiet, and Daryl randomly letting an arrow fly, each time spearing an animal with it's head. She tried to ignore the horror she felt whenever she watched him wrench the arrows out of limpless bodies, and instead focused on the gentleness of her own footsteps and the sounds of the forest. The longer they traveled, the easier it became for Sophia to spot where the scurrying of small animals was coming from. She found herself whipping her head in the direction she could hear the animals, right as she heard the whiz of Daryl's arrow pass leave the crossbow.

Sophia still couldn't believe that her father was gone for good. The freedom she felt was incredible, and made her feel stronger than she ever felt was imaginable. He was dead. Her Daddy, her no good, abusive Daddy was finally in the ground where he belonged all along. She hadn't seen his lifeless body, but she knew that he wasn't coming back. Mr. Dixon wouldn't allow that, she could tell. She turned her head to stare at the man beside her, and couldn't help but smile. He had protected her mother from a living monster, and for that, she was eternally greatful. She had sees the understanding on his face earlier at the grave, and felt the curiosity welling up inside of her, but kept it at bay. Sophia could tell that privacy meant a lot to this man, and she didn't want to do anything to push his boundaries. So she walked, silently, and observed his every move as he hunted.

After thirty minutes of trudging through the woods, Sophia eyes fell on a series of bushes filled with small red berries. Her stomach growled as she looked at them, and she didn't need any more convincing to allow her feet to take her to the bushes. Without much thought, she reached out her hand to the bush to grab a handful of the colorful fruit.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!" Daryl cried, sprinting over to her side, and slapping her hand away from the fruit. "I told you to stay by my side, and instead you go wandering off." Sophia cowered in fear from the sheer volume and anger of his voice. She felt stupid. She had blatantly disobeyed his orders, and now she was going to pay for it. She stemmed the tears that were threatening to fall, and stared at the leaves below her feet.

"I'm, I'm sorry. I was hungry." She whispered, refusing to meet his gaze.

"So you decide that poisonous berries is the answer?" He questioned, causing her to raise her head.

"I didn't know they were poisonous," She said, wide eyed and staring at him with a dumbfounded expression. He stared at her quietly, reading her expression.

"Your daddy never told you how to survive in the woods? Never showed you what to eat and not to eat, and what plants to avoid?" He asked her, looking from one eye to the other. Sophia shook her head no as she stared back. Daryl straightened up, and Sophia had to crane her neck to look up at his face.

"That's climbing nightshade. Don't go eatin' it unless you wanna vomit for the next couple 'a days." He turned around and scanned the area. Sophia watched him stop for a moment, and then travel to his left, jerking his head to signal her to follow. "Here. These are just wild blackberries, and they won't make you feel like you're gonna die," he joked, and Sophia giggled. He picked a few of the juicy berries from the bush. "Gimme your hands," he said, waiting for Sophia to cup them before he placed them there.

"Thank you, Mr. Dixon," she said, smiling up at him after she plopped one of the blackberries into her mouth. She chewed and swallowed the fruit, enjoying the sweet and tart taste on her tongue.

"Come on," he grumbled, walking back along an imaginary path once she was by his side again. Sophia followed him as they went, eating her fruit, and absorbing any information he told her about poisonous fruits and leaves. By the time they were back at camp, she was knowledgeable about several different plants in the area, and felt a little more confident than she had earlier.

"Thanks for everything, Mr. Dixon," Sophia said, smiling up at the man by her side.

"Don't wanna catch you out in those woods by yourself anymore. And call me Daryl," he replied quietly, looking at her, and then eyeing his tent nervously.

"Sure thing, Mr. Daryl," she said, grinning, and then she sprinted off to her tent to write down all she had learned from her day in the woods with the man she now viewed as a hero.

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A/N: And there we go :) Our first little outing with Daryl and Sophia in the woods of Georgia. Hope you liked it. Please review, because I'm a review whore, and am desperate for reviews lol Little clips from the next chapter to those lovely people that do review :) See you all at the next one!


	12. Chapter 12: Questions & Intimidations

A/N: Hello everyone! :) I don't know about all of you, but it's a crappy day here in the Boston area, which is unfortunate. HOWEVER, it's giving me some writing fever :) that and all of your lovely reviews :) SERIOUSLY you guys are amazing! look at how awesome of a mood I'm in lol But, yeah, you all apparently loved seeing Daryl and Sophia interact, and trust me, there's more to come :) I love these two together, (it's like whenever people write Merle and Sophia scenes. You can't help but fall in love lol) and I'm glad that you all liked it, because I was planning on writing more :)

Now, 2ndly, I wanted you all to know that I will be posting how much time has gone by in the story in my A/N. So, as of right now, we're starting out 3rd day :) . It's been 2 days since the events in Chapter 1, and 1 days since everyone met at the campsite...yeah, a lot has happened. I'm sorry for the slowness. I just like character development lol.

LASTLY, thank you to all of my lovely reviewers: Killarneyheart, Maeflower3, vickih, Peta2, earthbound68, peonies01, HGRHfan35, Rodgerse, futuredweller, Silver Dog Demon, Escapingreality007, BanannaFlvdSnow, and SilverWolf84 . Thank you all so much for your ongoing support! :) On with Chapter 12!

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Chapter 12: Questions Intimidations

Carol sat alone in the tent, hiccuping quietly as she wiped her eyes from the remaining tears that were trickling down her cheeks. She could hear the faint sounds of the rest of the group waking for the morning, their laughter and joyful banter filling their air. She slowly sipped from the bottle of water Sophia had given her not five minutes ago, before her daughter sprinted out of the tent like a bat out of hell. She capped the bottle and gingerly stood to her feet, stretching out her soar muscles as she did so. As happy as she was to be finally free of Ed, the world hadn't stopped turning, and Carol needed to get on with her daily routines. _Sophia's probably starving. No wonder she left in such a hurry. _Carol placed the water bottle down on the ground, and exited the tent, squinting until her eyes adjusted to the glare of the bright Georgia sun. She placed her hand above her eyes to give them a little relief as search for her daughter. Panic rose within her when she saw no signs of her little girl wherever she turned her head. Carol saw Lori speaking to Shane by their tent, and quickly made her way to the woman's side.

"Lori! I'm sorry, but have you seen Sophia? She left the tent five minutes ago, and I thought she was just getting something to eat, but I don't see her anywhere!"

Lori smiled at her warmly. "I understand Carol, no need to be sorry. I think I saw her by the woods with, Daryl I believe it was." To Carol's surprise, she felt relief at hearing these words. Though she'd known the man for only a day, she felt that she could trust him. She had seen him watching over her more than once, and he had even saved her from Ed.

"Thanks, Lori. I'm sorry I interrupted you two, I was just..."

"Concerned. I understand. If I didn't know where Carl was, I'd feel the same way. You have nothing to apologize for." Lori and Shane smiled at her, and Carol smiled in return. "Did you sleep well?"

"I slept alright. It's going to take some getting used to, sleeping in tents and sleeping bags, but it could be worse," She replied, _I could have ended up like Ed._

As if she could read her mind, Lori put her hand on Carol's shoulder, and lowered her voice. "I'm sorry, about your husband. Shane told me what happened. Are you alright?"

"Thank you, Lori, but it's probably better that he's gone," she heard herself say, shocking herself as the words came out of her mouth. She didn't back down from them, or try to take them back, however, as it was the truth. The world was a better place with her no for good husband rotting in the ground. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go get myself some breakfast," Carol said, and turned around to open a box of M.R.E.s by her tent.

She ate her meal in peace, watching the others go along their daily routines as well, and noticing two new faces setting up a small tent. It was an African American couple, both of whom were moving as though they were on auto pilot. Carol saw blood covering their clothes, and knew they must have gone through hell before they arrived. She turned her attention the the last bit of food on her plate, and then went to throw the container away in the garbage. Once she was done, Carol changed her clothes, and gathered her dirty ones. She was hoping to try and get the dirt and blood stains out of them after she washed herself. She retrieved her tooth brush, tooth paste, and a bit of soap from her tent, and traveled down to the waters edge to clean up a bit.

Carol had just finished brushing her teeth when a dark shadow loomed over her.

"Well, if it ain't little Miss Mouse," Carol's eyes widened in fear as she heard the voice of Merle Dixon behind her. She didn't have to speak to the man to know that he was bad news, and not at all like his brother. She gulped and turned her head, trying not to let his intimidation get to her.

"It's, it's Carol. My name is Carol," she said, hearing the shakiness of her own voice. Carol straightened her back in hopes of making herself look less threatened, as she faced the stone cold face of Merle Dixon.

"You ain't seen or been hangin' around my brother today, have you, Miss Mouse?" Merle asked, taking a step towards her.

Carol tried to keep her composure, and shook her head no, not trusting her voice.

"You wouldn't be lyin' to me, now, would you, Mouse? 'Cause word around the camp is that no good husband 'a yours done kicked the bucket out in them woods. You tryin' to tell me my baby brother didn't have nothin' to do with that?" Merle asked, sneering down at her.

Carol backed away from the man in front of her, but found her voice, and whispered out, "Yes, that's what I'm saying. Your brother had nothing to do with it." She hated the panicked feeling she felt under his steel gaze, so much like her husband's. The silence stretched between them for another few seconds, causing Carol's heart to beat furiously under her chest.

"You stay the fuck outta our way, ya hear? If you know what's good for ya, you won't look at him, talk to him, or even fuckin' think about him in that pretty little head 'a yours," he whispered menacingly. Carol watched as the large man reached down by her side and splashed some of the cool water onto his face. He gave her one last glare before he turned around and started walking back towards the hill.

"He's a good man... Daryl. He's a good man." She spoke out quickly, shocking herself at her own gall. Merle stopped in his tracks, and then turned fast on his heel to look at her once again.

"You don't know shit about my brother, sugar tits," he growled out, staring her down.

"I don't have to," she said, shaking her head, not knowing where the confidence was coming from. "I can just tell."

Merle's eyes turned into slits as he looked her up and down. ""You stay the hell away from my brother. I don't wanna see that small ass anywhere near him, got me? He ain't your friend, and he sure as hell ain't your fuckin' hero, so back the fuck off 'a him, and learn your fuckin' place," he whispered fiercely once again. The rush of confidence she once felt left as quickly as it came, and Carol gulped in fear. She stared down at her feet until Merle left her, and then picked up the soap from the ground, and began washing herself in the water.

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Merle was pissed. He was more than pissed. Merle was fucking enraged.

He had woken up that morning with a pounding headache, and found himself unable to remember anything after he had gotten high the night before. Daryl was nowhere in site, though his sleeping bag was unrolled, and looked to be slept in, so Merle decided to go out and look for him. Not two minutes after exiting his tent, he was hailed down by the cop, Shane, who informed him that the big oaf, Ed Pellietier, was found dead in the woods that morning by him and fucking Darylina.

"Daryl killed the walker this morning, and we tracked it to Ed's body. We're gonna be bumping up security around here, and putting more people on watch shifts; might even set up a group to head into the woods to make sure the perimeter is safe," Shane explained to a now alert Merle. He didn't care about the walkers. Those fuckin' freaks were everywhere. What got Merle's head spinning was that it was his own baby brother who had found Ed's body. It hadn't been two fucking days, and Daryl's name was once again associated with that family. He couldn't prove it, but Merle got the distinct feeling that his baby brother was involved in more than just finding Ed's body.

When he made it to the water to wash up a bit, the first thing his eyes landed on was the petite figure of Carol Pelletier. He narrowed his eyes in anger, and stormed over to her. She of course denied any affiliation with his brother, but her panicked expression told him she was lying. When the mouse told him what a good man his brother was, he felt the anger swell within him. Who did this bitch think she was. She didn't know either of them for more than a day, and she's trying to tell him what a saint his brother is. The Dixon brothers were damaged people, plain and simple, and no mousy bitch was going to change that.

So here he was, storming up the hill in search of his brother, as rage filled his gut with ever step.

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A/N: Ok, so I know that this was short, and I was going to make it longer, but I've had some of you tell me you don't like too many POVs in one chapter, sooo the second part will be coming out either later today, or tomorrow :) I really need to start writing faster, I'm sorry guys :/ So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you all on the next one! :) Reviews are wonderful and make a girl wanna write quick like a bunny :) Soooo show me some love, and hit that lovely little review button :)


	13. Chapter 13: Down by the Water's Edge

A/N: "...the second part will be coming out either later today, or tomorrow..." Go home Alexis, you're drunk. I think I'm going to stop saying when I'm going to update :/ Thank you so much to: vickih, RhiannonMuir, peonies01, BanannaFlvdSnow, HGRHfan35, and Rodgerse for reviewing! You guys are amazing! :) Ok, I'm not going to keep you with a long Author's Note, so here's chapter 13.

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Chapter 13: Down by the Water's Edge

Daryl cautiously made his way over towards his camp. He dropped his kills on the ground, and eyed the tent warily. He had just spent the last hour with Carol's daughter, teaching her a bit about plants and berries in the woods, and the last person he wanted to deal with now was Merle. He sighed, knowing he couldn't avoid his brother forever, but thought he might be able to stall the inevitable for another fifteen minutes by washing his hands before skinning the animals he had caught. Daryl set his crossbow next to the dead squirrels and rabbits, and turned around, when a firm figure crashed into him.

"What the fu-"

"What did you fuckin' do, baby brother?" Merle asked, grabbing Daryl by the shirt to stop him from falling over.

"What are you-" Daryl started, but was cut off once agian.

"Don't even fuckin' think about denyin' it. I know it was you. I know you had somethin' to do with that piece of shit's death," Merle said in a hushed voice, his grip on Daryl's t-shirt tightening as he spoke.

"I didn't do nothin', except find the bastard's body this morning," Daryl said, trying to keep his voice calm.

"Bull shit, Darylina. Bull. Shit. What? Did the fat fuck decide to have a nice little camp out alone in the woods? His ass was unconcious, and it was you who beat him, wasn't it," Merle pressed, his knuckles now white from the death grip he had on Daryl's shirt.

"The sick fuck was a drunk. Passed out in them woods with an empty bottle of whiskey to keep him company," Daryl lied, hoping he had convinced Merle to let it go. After a few seconds, Merle shoved him a way.

"What were you doin' comin' out of the woods with that girl? Find yourself a little girlfriend, Darylina?" Merle asked in a less hostile voice.

"Shut up. She wanted to know where I'd found her old man. Nearly spit on his grave when I showed her," Daryl said, telling his brother only partially what happened. Merle continued to eye him silently, searching his face for signs of untruth.

"DIXON!" Shane yelled from across the camp. Daryl and Merle broke their stare down as they whipped their heads in the direction of the cop's voice. "Not you Daryl. You were up all night. MERL! COME ON! IT'S YOUR TURN FOR WATCH!"

Merle grumbled under his breath, "Mother fucker." He looked back at Daryl and whispered threateningly,"We ain't done here, baby brother."

Daryl watched Merle walk towards Shane, and felt the tension leave his body as soon as his brother was out of sight. He hated lying to him, but Merle would have his head if he knew the truth. _It's better this way. _Daryl just hoped his brother would drop it, or forget it, but he knew that was as likely as Merle kicking his habit. Knowing there was nothing he could do about it now, Daryl decided to go ahead and wash up before he started skinning his kills.

He walked with his head down on the way to the quarry, not wanting to look or talk to anyone in the camp, which was always easier to do if he didn't make eye contact with anybody. He had too much on his mind as it was, without the badgering voices of anyone else. Merle was always the leader out of the two of them, being the older brother and all. Growing up, he always stepped in front, came up with the plans, while Daryl followed behind him, preferring the shadows rather than the lime light. He knew his brother wasn't used to him sticking up for himself, and taking charge, and, to be quite honest, it was shocking Daryl himself. Sure, he had always thought of telling his brother off, but the fact that he had actually done so the other day had shocked the living shit out of him. And now, today, he had actually lied to Merle's face. _Growing a pair 'a balls after all, baby brother. _Merle's voice rang out in Daryl's head as he walked down the winding hill towards the quarry. _Fuck off, Merle. _The water came into view around the last turn, and Daryl made his way over to it, still keeping his eyes glued to the dirt below his feet.

Daryl took off his boots and rolled up his pants just high enough so they wouldn't get wet, and stepped into the cool water. He let out a sigh of relief as the water touched his skin, allowing his head to roll back in bliss as a rare smile crept it's way onto his face. He closed his eyes and breathed, feeling his body calm itself in that moment, the stress he had been feeling washing away.

"You can use my soap if you'd like."

Daryl's eyes snapped open at the sound of an annoyingly familiar voice. He turned his head to the right to see it's source, already knowing the face and clear blue eyes that would be staring back at him. Carol stood by his side, innocently gazing up at him. He searched her eyes, questioning how on earth this woman, this pain in his ass, was always around him. He knew it wasn't her fault, of course, but it was easier to blame her for his troubles than it was to take responsibility for his actions. _Her and those big blue eyes she's got. Like fuckin' crystals . . . _He shook his head and narrowed his eyes at her.

"What?" He snapped, causing her to step back in alarm.

"I, I said you could use my soap. I didn't know if you had any. I'm sorry," she was all but whispering by the end, and Daryl could see the tension and nervousness that hadn't been present a minute ago. Guilt overwhelmed him as he looked at her. Here she was, offering him her soap out of the goodness of her heart, and he had to go and fuck it all up. _As usual. _

"Sorry," he mumbled pitifully, kicking himself for being such an ass to her. She slowly lifted her head until she was looking back at him, and Daryl felt the pull of her eyes once more as they searched his own. "I shouldn't have yelled at ya." She nodded as she held his gaze, and then silently reached out her hand that grasped the soap, offering it to him once more. "Thanks," Daryl said quietly, and quickly went to grab the soap from her hands, his fingertips and knuckles brushing the smooth skin of her palm. White heat burned him as their skin touched, and he jerked his head up to look at Carol, keeping his hand against hers. Daryl could feel himself breathing heavily through his nose as his eyes met hers, wide with shock much like his own. He fervently tore his hands and eyes away from her, breaking the spell between them. _Get a hold of yourself, you fuck. Practically drooling over her like she's a piece of meat._

Daryl dipped the soap and his hands into the water, a tingling sensation replacing the heat on his skin where he had touched her. He growled in frustration, and began scrubbing his arms and hands furiously. _It's like one fuckin' thing after another with this woman. If I ain't stuck lookin' in those eyes, I'm gettin' burned by her, or riskin' my hide to save her ass. Fuckin' pain in my side is what she is. Should just cut all ties with this one. Make life sure as hell of a lot..._

"Thank you for watching Sophia," Carol said, interrupting Daryl's train of thought. He refused to look at her this time, and instead busied himself with washing his hands. "I'm sorry she followed you into the woods. I hope she wasn't too much trouble."

"Ain't no trouble at all," he found himself responding, watching the soap foam over his hands as he washed them.

"Still . . . Thank you, Daryl," Carol said softly.

Silence fell between the two, something that Daryl normally would have welcomed, but was now making him even more tense than before. He realized he wanted to hear her voice, and know she was near him, though he was unwilling to admit it. Daryl took a second to subtly glance to his right, fearing she had gone back up the hill, but, instead, found her washing a small pile of clothes three feet away from him.

He turned his attention back to his hands, and asked gruffly, "You alright?"

Carol didn't look at him; she just kept on scrubbing the shirt in her hands. "My husband, the father of my child, was just eaten by walkers, and then I . . . in the woods . . . " she paused to collect herself, not yet able to speak about smashing Ed's miserable skull in. "I should be far more upset over the events that have played out these past few days. I fear for Sophia, and the world we live in, but I can't help but feel relief over Ed's death." Out of the corner of his eye, Daryl saw Carol dip the shirt she was washing into the water to clean the soap off of it. "I'm just . . . I'm better than I should be," she whispered, guilt leaking into her voice.

Daryl smirked to himself as he moved to scrub his arms. _Same answer as her little girl. _He chuckled at the thought of how similar Sophia was to her mother. _Just a little more mischievous than her Ma. _

"What?" She asked, sounding a little more harsh after hearing him laugh.

"Seems to me like you got every right to feel that way," he said, risking a glance her way, and regretting it instantly, as, once again, he was caught in that crystal blue gaze. "That man was a cruel son of a bitch. Ain't no reason to feel guilty for bein' glad he's gone." He saw the tears well, but was glad when she didn't let them fall.

"Thank you, Daryl," She said, honesty shining through her eyes.

"No need to be thankin' me. It's the truth," he muttered, breaking away once more, and washing the soap from his arms. The sound of the wind whistled through his ears, as well as the calming sound of the water lapping over his feet. He looked down at his hands, now clean of dirt and soap, and questioned himself as he continued to rinse them in the water. _Got a little crush, Darylina? Trying to get it in with the cute little widow?_ He narrowed his eyes. _SHUT UP, Merle! _Daryl growled to his brother's voice in his head. _Ain't like I'd blame ya. That's a fine piece of ass you got there. It'd be a damn shame to know something that nice, and never give it a poke. _

"Your brother talked to me today," Carol said, causing Daryl to pause his inner dialogue. "He told me to stay away from you."

"Ain't nobody sayin' we have to listen to him," Daryl replied reflexively. It took him a second to realize what he'd just said, but once he did, Daryl's eyes widened in shock once again, as he felt the color rise to his cheeks. He refused to look in Carol's direction, too embarrassed by his words, but he could feel her eyes on his back, her gaze as hot as her touch. He sat in his spot for a few more seconds, overwhelmed by the heat of Carol's gaze and the embarrassment flooding his system. Daryl felt trapped, caged in sitting next to her, and he could hear his heart thumping in his chest, his breathing getting heavy once again. _Ain't nobody sayin' we have to listen to him, that's fuckin' rich. What in the hell were you thinkin', spittin' off that crap like some romantic son of a bitch. Makin' a fuckin' fool of yourself, that's what. She was probably tellin' you that 'cause she was wantin' to get away from ya. _Daryl couldn't stand being there any longer, and he swiftly turned around to grab his shoes, not even bothering to put them on, and stormed off towards the hill.

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"DARYL!" Carol cried, but it was no use. She stood there, watching the back of Daryl Dixon move away from her as he made his way back up the hill to the campsite. His words kept repeating in her head. _Ain't nobody sayin' we have to listen to him. _She smiled to herself as she turned back around and continued washing the small pile of clothes. The man was a mystery, for sure, but he did say some of the sweetest things. She knew Daryl was a good man, despite only knowing him for no more than two days, she just knew it. She could see his heart and soul in his eyes. He was wounded, damaged, but not lost. There was a goodness in him that called to her, and she wanted nothing more than to uncover more of it. If Daryl wasn't willing to stay away from her, than neither was she.

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A/N: Ok, so that was Chapter 13 :) I hope you all enjoyed that one, as there was Daryl and Carol interact-age :) I was really nervous about this one, because of the Merle scene with Daryl. I know it wasn't a big blow out, drama filled scene between Daryl and Merle, but I didn't think that would be realistic just yet.

Also, if you want something to happen, or have suggestions, like, include more characters, please tell me! I want to make sure this story isn't going to become boring, because it is going to be long (as you all can probably guess lol) Please review! Reviewers get a little sneak peak of the next chapter! Thank you all! and I'll see you on the next one!


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